Bob McDonnell Raises $2.2 Million in 1Q09

Bob McDonnell has finally reported his 1Q09 fundraising total, and it demonstrates once again why we Democrats are going to need a candidate who's both a fighter AND a fundraiser.

Republican Bob McDonnell said Monday that he raised $2.2 million the first three months of 2009.

[...]

McDonnell's quarterly receipts are second to former Democratic national chairman Terry McAuliffe, who said in a news release last week that he raised $4.2 million and had $2.5 million on hand.

McDonnell was barred by state law from fundraising from the Jan. 14 start of the General Assembly through Feb. 20, the day he resigned as attorney general to campaign for governor full time.

Nearly half of McDonnell's contributions, however, came from a $1 million donation on March 11 from the Republican Governors Association in Washington.

Four quick points. First, $2.2 million is a lot of money, particularly given that McDonnell couldn't raise money for about 5 weeks of the quarter. Second, McDonnell's haul is far more than what Brian Moran ($800,000) or Creigh Deeds ($600,000) brought in, but it's far LESS than what Terry McAuliffe ($4.2 million) raised in the quarter. Third, the $1 million to McDonnell from the Republican Governors Association is merely a small sign of the national Republican money deluge to come, as "Republicans - nationally and in Virginia - are desperate to stop a humiliating string of losses."

Finally, to reiterate the point I made above, we are going to need a candidate this year who can raise ungodly amounts of money if we're going to compete with the national Republican onslaught. That candidate is clearly Terry McAuliffe -- the only Democrat in the race who has demonstrated that he can beat Republicans at their own game. If we really want to win this November, we need to get real about that and stop wringing our hands about the evils of money in politics. The rules are what they are, for better or for worse, and they're the same for both sides. For 2009, that means making sure that we don't get swamped by the Republican cash tsunami now taking shape.