Opensecrets.org has compiled the latest cash-on-hand numbers of all the candidates from the FEC reports. Additionally, there is a new poll out today which has Giuliani leading the pack. Here are the aggregated results for your consumption:
Rudy Giuliani: 32%, $11.6 million cash on hand ($16.6 overall)
Fred Thompson: 18%, $7.1 million cash on hand
John McCain: 14%, $1.67 million cash on hand ($3.4 overall+$1.76 debt)
Mitt Romney: 10%, $9.2 million cash on hand (+$17.3 debt)
Ron Paul: $5.4 million cash on hand
Giuliani is in a commanding position leading both the money game and the polls, not to mention he doesn't have significant debt. Romney's campaign, on the other hand, would be bankrupt if he wasn't using his vast personal wealth to keep it afloat. Could this be a sign that potential donors are passing because he can't gain traction in the polls?
McCain is broke, literally. Unlike Romney, he can't go to the ATM to keep himself in this race. And he actually has more debt than he does cash on hand (general election money will have to be returned to donors when he doesn't make it out of the primary) that he will have to retire somehow. The only positive news is that he's actually polling ahead of Romney. The Biz bets he opts into public financing.
Thompson is in a solid position. Even though he entered the race six months after everyone else, he is polling second nationally and is third in the money. Additionally, he has spent very little on boosting name identification (no ads to speak of besides his announcement). Watch for those numbers to tick up as he begins to go on the air.
See Also:
Chuck Todd discusses the Money
Comment Preview