FEC Pre-General Reports Filed

Nancy Boyda:

Beginning of Period: $622,330.89
Raised: $39,250.00
Disbursements: $325,925.37
Cash-on-Hand: $335,655.52


Lynn Jenkins:

Beginning of Period: $553,287.77
Raised: $124,253.10
Disbursements: $315,247.36
Cash-on-Hand: $362,293.51

In a race this close, the distance between Jenkins and Boyda is as good as zero- particularly with all of the independent expenditures that have exploded in the last few days. But, for the first time, Lynn Jenkins has pulled into the cash-on-hand lead in her race to kick out Nancy Boyda.

Candidates are now also reporting 48 hour notices of large donations- we'll do a daily roundup for both Boyda & Jenkins.

$4.9 Million Raised to Date in KS-02 Race

In what will end up one of the most expensive congressional races in the United States of America, the three main candidates for the Kansas 2nd seat in Congress have raised a combined total of more than $4.9 million.

Overall, candidates in the race have raised a stratospheric $4.9 million, nearly three times the total spent in the 2006 election and ranking it with some of the nation's most expensive contests.

Surprisingly, it is former Congressman Jim Ryun, who lost in the August primary and isn't on the November ballot, who has raised $1.9 million so far, the most of anyone in the race.

Boyda, the freshman Democratic representative, has raised $1.5 million since the beginning of the election cycle.

Jenkins, the Republican state treasurer, brought in $1.4 million, which included $100,000 she loaned her campaign.

That's a huge, huge number from each candidate- particularly from Ryun.

Lots of ink has been spilled over the fact Lynn Jenkins managed an extraordinary take in the last quarter- it was impressive for sure. We can't, however, stress enough that she had no choice but to raise a ridiculous amount after spending nearly every cent she had to beat Jim Ryun in the primary just two months ago and- and this is very important- if it hadn't been for the fundraiser President George W. Bush was supposed to attend for her that ended up being with First Lady Laura Bush Jenkins would have raised less money than Boyda did.

'Course, none of this matters- Boyda's still got more money to spend, and Jenkins' support from the NRCC has gone up in smoke. Not a fun time to be Lynn Jenkins.

Cook Political Report Upgrades KS-02 to "Leans Democratic"

Brand new on The Cook Political Report today- this race has been officially upgraded from "Toss-up" to "Leans Democratic."

Why? The NRCC pulled hundreds of thousands in ads for Lynn Jenkins, Jenkins has been plagued by two weeks of horrible news stories locally pointing out she's really, really just not a competent state treasurer...oh, and, even though she raised a huge amount of money, Boyda still has more cash on hand going into the final stretch.

Saw the CULAC ad on TV last night- reminds us all Jenkins is good with money. Is that sound we hear the district laughing?

Boyda's FEC Shows Cash-on-Hand Lead

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda:

Beginning of Period: $890,452.80
Raised: $302,292.85
Disbursements: $570,414.76
Cash-on-Hand: $622,330.89

Itemized Contributions: $141,749
Unitemized Contributions: $41,711.08
PAC Contributions: $112,060.80
Other: $6,411.94

A much better number for Boyda when it comes to small dollar donations. While we aren't done with our full breakdown of both reports, it looks like both woman got the vast majority of their donations from Kansas. It also looks like that without her would-be fundraiser with President George W. Bush, Lynn Jenkins fundraising for the quarter would have been cut in about half- more on that later!

Oh, one other point- the very, very most important point going into the home stretch: Congresswoman Nancy Boyda still has more cash on hand than Lynn Jenkins, which means she's got more in the bank to use to get her message out in these last critical weeks.

Also, can we say one other thing: Jenkins raised a fabulous amount, that is undeniable, but that comes at a cost to both her campaign and the voters of Kansas. To raise this money, she scheduled a fundraiser with one of the least popular presidents in American history- and got hundreds of thousands of dollars from people who wanted to come and see him and who would, one would expect, like to see his policies continued.

The other problems is, in order to raise to much cash, Lynn Jenkins would have had to locked herself in a small, dark room with a telephone and a computer and made fundraising phone calls for hours upon hours. While that's certainly just part of the game, it prevented her from talking to voters, and from doing the job she currently has (which has been evidenced in recent days with more revelations she's ignoring her duties at the treasurer's office). It's a trade off- she did the only thing she could do to stay even kind of viable in her race, but tied herself to a deeply unpopular president and his deeply unpopular policies, and she ignored her current jobs and the voters of the 2nd District.

We'll see if it pays off in the end.

Jenkins Breaks the Bank (with a Little Help)

Lynn Jenkins's faltering campaign for Congress just issued some good news for itself today (much needed, after the week they poor souls had last). The Jenkins camp says they have raised $640,000 since the beginning of August- the largest single quarter haul for a congressional candidate in Kansas history.

Jenkins says she raised this much money because of "her campaign's 'message of lower taxes, returning fiscal sanity to Congress, and finally ending our dependence on foreign oil.'"

Gag. No, Lynn, it's because the President of the United States was going to come raise cash for you (replaced with the First Lady) and because you had to replenish a totally broke campaign following your bruising primary with Jim Ryun. Of course you had a good quarter- otherwise you could have been toast.

Mitt Romney to Raise Money for Lynn Jenkins

Failed presidential candidate and former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney is about to become the latest in a line of miserably failed Republicans to come in and raise money for the Republicans running against Nancy Boyda.

So, on October 22 and for only $2,500 you and your spouse can have your picture taken with Mittens, even!

Lynn Jenkins Duck Questions, Gets Left at the Alter

As we posted earlier this week, Lynn Jenkins had a swanky fundraiser hosted by Frm. Governor and Chair of the Environmental Protection Agency in New York City on Monday.

Whitman never showed up.

But, in addition to that embarrassing little snafu, our in-over-her-head state treasurer got caught with her britches down when confronted by people asking for her to respond to Whitman's erroneous claims the air was safe to breathe in Manhattan after the World Trade Center towers collapsed on September 11.

And we even have video!

Now, hold on rabid Republicans- before you post that lovely YouTube video of Congresswoman Nancy Boyda not responding to a man with a camera asking her to answer questions she has already answered- this is a different animal: Jenkins has never publicly said anything on this issue and, indeed, the people have the right to know what she believes.

Why didn't Lynn give these fellas an answer? Because she hasn't any idea what they're even talking about.

And that's a shame.

From RedState: Jenkins Violates Spirit of Election Law

How on Earth we missed this, we cannot say, but here is a broadside against Lynn Jenkins from a conservative blogger over at RedState:

There is a particular tenet in Kansas election law that has, in the past, caught up a number of state elected officials: It's against state law to solicit or accept contributions from registered state lobbyists during the legislative session.

In the 2006 election cycle the law caught three people running statewide- two Republicans and one Democrat. That Democrat, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, recently did it again- though all three said it was an error, and I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Now, it appears yet another statewide elected official in Kansas is rubbing dangerously close to breaking the same law- except she knows exactly what she's doing.

Since announcing her candidacy for Congress, Kansas State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins has accepted 17 contributions from 14 registered state lobbyists, with 7 of those donations coming while the state legislature was in session.

How is it, then, that Jenkins isn't violating the same law Sebelius is being raked over the coals for breaking?

It's a game a CPA like Jenkins is particularly good at playing, because it all has to do with where the money gets funneled. If even a single cent of those donations had ended up in her state-level account, Jenkins would be a cooked goose, but since they shoved the contributions over to her federal campaign, she's clean.

Is this why we need an accountant in Congress? Just to make sure we have someone who knows the loopholes inside and out?

So, no, Jenkins isn't breaking the law, but she's violating its spirit. The people of Kansas, through their elected officials, decided long ago it was wrong for sitting state elected officials to take money from state lobbyists, and made it illegal for officials to solicit or receive such funds. It's even illegal for the lobbyists themselves to even try to give state candidates contributions while the legislature is in session. It is all out of an effort to make sure our elected officials were working for us and not for the lobbyists who were lining their pockets.

Jenkins has cunningly squeaked passed the prohibition by funneling the money into a different account, but an important question has to be asked: As she's filling her coffers trying to get a new job representing us in Congress, who has she been working for at her current job as State Treasurer- the people of Kansas who elected her, or the lobbyists stuffing her pockets with cash?

(Research from Open Secrets and the Kansas Secretary of State)

Oh, Lynn!

A Lot of Money, and We're Only Halfway In

In Ric Anderson's column in the Topeka Capital Journal today:

3 With the amount of campaign money that Kansans seeking seats in the U.S. Senate and the House 2nd and 3rd districts had on hand during the first quarter of this year, which of the following could be provided?

A) Salaries for 150 public school teachers

B) One semester of in-state tuition for more than 2,200 students at Washburn University

C) Either

Correct answer: C. The seven congressional candidates had about $6.2 million on hand between them.

The average salary for a Kansas teacher is $41,369, according the National Education Association.

Washburn charges $185 per credit hour in tuition for in-state students, which adds up to $2,775 for a 15-hour semester.

The cash on hand figures are as follows: U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., $3 million; Jim Slattery, Roberts' Democrat challenger, $288,000; Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., $812,000; former Congressman Jim Ryun, who is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Boyda, $461,000; Kansas Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, who also is competing for the Republican nomination, $486,000; Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., $889,000; state Sen. Nick Jordan, Moore's Republican challenger, $307,000.

Holy cripes, folks...and those numbers are only going to get bigger and bigger and bigger...

Ryun Pulls 16% of Donors from the KS-02

Continuing with our breakdowns of FEC reports from the folk competing for the pleasure of getting beaten by Nancy Boyda in November, we now turn to former Congressman Jim Ryun.

Previously, we've made hay out of the fact Ryun seems to really like visiting Kwik Shops, McDonalds', and giving himself great huge fat reimbursements from the campaign.

He also spends crazy amounts of money on stamps.

This quarter, it isn't much different- though fewer trips to the Kwik Shop. Also, Ryun didn't give himself nearly as much money as he has in the past- this time only pocketing $1,494.92 in campaign dough.

He continues flying through money, though he did slow down a little bit during this quarter. Last quarter we reported he had spent 75% of his total raised, this quarter our fiscal conservative improved that number by keeping some more coin in the bank, but he has still spent 66% of his total take.

Still leaves him in last place in the only important contest in this part of the game: cash-on-hand. Even by only raising $108K, Lynn Jenkins still has almost $30,000 more in the bank than he does, and, of course, Congresswoman Boyda almost doubled him.

The Ryun Campaign did spend a lot of money tapping into the fundraising list they've spent a year building- forking out $48,000 on postage alone. Mixed success...it appears the folks that gave Ryun his huge boost in the 2nd Quarter of 2007 aren't all that interesting in repeat performances.

One last tidbit: Of Ryun's 541 (yowza) itemized donors, 185 were from Kansas, and only 88 were from the 2nd District of Kansas. The man actually lies to people and tells them he has more Kansas donors than either of his opponents- when Jenkins beats him percentage-wise and Boyda beats him that way and in real numbers, too. Sorry, Jim, the facts don't lie: only 16% of your itemized contributions are from in-district, while Jenkins is at 43% and Boyda (who we'll breakdown next) is right at 51%.

So much for the people of Kansas wanting you back so desperately, huh, Jim?

Quickly: Lynn Jenkins is Disingenuous

Anyone who's been paying attention to this race for Congress knows that Republican Lynn Jenkins has said over and over again that she's running a "Kansas campaign" filled with "Kansas boys."

Yes, fine, that's true...though her campaign manager has spent most of his adult life working in Washington, DC, he is, in fact, from Kansas originally (as opposed to Ryun's CM, who probably couldn't have found Kansas on a map before the NRCC backroom-dealers sent him here. Nancy Boyda? Her CM is a life long Topekan...take that! Ha!).

But, we think, probably, when Jenkins travels the district and tells folks she's running a Kansas campaign they assume she means she's pulling her support (and staff) out of this part of Kansas- the Kansas 2nd Congressional District.

Not so much.

True, yes, Lynn's itemized donors are nearly all from Kansas (unless they're pro-choice women from New York). Only 22 of her 169 itemized contributions came from out of the state- which is really excellent- a better percent than either Ryun or Congresswoman Boyda. True, that's easier when your competitors have 5 times as many donors...

Problem is- more than half of them come from Kansas City and Wichita. Only 43% of Jenkins' support comes from within the district she wants to represent in Congress.

So, if Jenkins does manages to pull it together and win this puppy...who will it be that actually pushed her over Ryun? The voters of the 2nd District, or the money people from Kansas City and Wichita?

Where for art thou, Lynn?

Still lots and lots to pour over on the FEC reports, and we'll have detailed breakdowns up tomorrow early for both Ryun & Boyda, but the thing that strikes us first today is this: What in the world has happened to the once promising (for moderate Republicans, anyway) campaign of Lynn Jenkins?

For the second quarter in a row, Jenkins hasn't just been out raised by her opponents, she's been trounced by both Jim Ryun and Nancy Boyda. And it hasn't been just a nice, gentle trouncing, either, but a full on, hardcore, full-body trouncing where she's seen the numbers she's put up more than doubled by both of the people she's running against.

Credit where credit is due: Nearly ever penny of Jenkins' money came from Kansas...though more than half of it came from Kansas City and Wichita. Lord knows anyone would be a stronger challenger than Nick Jordan is again Congressman Dennis Moore...but we digress.

Anywho, outside of being embarrassingly small, the thing that really stands out on the Jenkins camp report is the amount of money Jenkins received from pro-choice groups- she took $2,000 this quarter from the PAC Republican Majority for Choice (who aired ads attacking Mitt Romney for flip-flopping on choice when he was running for President- see it here), took $2,810 in contributions earmarked for her from WISH List (which is a group that works to elect pro-choice Republican women), and a $885.43 in-kind donation from WISH List itself for the cost of a mailing.

All of this on the back of the announcement Jenkins will be throwing a fundraiser (in Kansas City, mind you) featuring the poster-child of pro-choice Republicans, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman. Gov. Whitman should also be remembered as the disgraced former Bush Administration head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Yep, the same director of the EPA that lied to folk in New York about the safety of the air post 9/11, only to see thousands suffer horribly because of it.

Great catch, Lynn. Best you could do? Would no non-disgraced Republicans appear at an event for you?

We don't have any problem with Jenkins being pro-choice- we think that makes her significantly more reasoned than her Republican opponent. However, in a district, and a state, that went for Mike Huckabee in the Presidential Caucus, we can't imagine her very, very public pro-choice positions will help her much in her Primary Election.

Oh, and Lynn? About that $7,767.13 you gave the Dublin Group for "fundraising expenditures?"

They're obviously not worth it.

UPDATE- And (Finally) Jenkins Numbers In

We've got everyone now- Jenkins trails badly in the fundraising category, while Congresswoman Nancy Boyda is way way way out in the lead in money in the bank.

More analysis tonight!

State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins
Beginning CoH: $416,241.73
Receipts: $108,200.13
Disbursements: $38,213.32
CoH: $486,228.54

Frm. Congressman Jim Ryun
Beginning CoH: $364,970.71
Receipts: $251,581.53
Disbursements: $157,503.46
CoH: $459,048.78

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda
Beginning CoH: $654,420.83
Receipts: $226,617.82
Disbursements: $69,813.07
CoH: $811,225.58

BREAKING: Boyda Nearly Doubles Ryun's Cash-on-Hand

Reported by the AP:

Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda is reporting about $812,000 cash on hand for her re-election bid this fall.

Former Republican Rep. Jim Ryun has about $461,000 in the bank.

Ryun raised slightly more than Boyda over the past three months. Ryun pulled in $247,000 in the first quarter of the year, while Boyda took in $220,000.

Ryun is trying to win his old job back after Boyda defeated him two years ago. But Ryun faces a tough primary challenge from state Treasurer Lynn Jenkins.

Jenkins has not yet reported her latest fundraising tally.

We'll have details as soon as we have details.

Republicans begging for money while Boyda thanks supporters

Today's the last day of the first quarter FEC fundraing period for the good people running for federal office, and in about the last hour we've received e-mails from candidates all over the country begging for money- including Jim Ryun, who says he's only at 55% of his goal of raising $20,000 on the Internet!

Our heart goes out to him in this desperate time.

We've got nothin' new from Lynn Jenkins yet, but she did send out an e-mail last week sometime asking for little contributions ($10, $25, or $50), while Jim's e-mail pushes ya to give $2,300.

No real point, just thought it was interesting. Someone might be able to say something 'bout "small fries vs. big potatoes," but we certainly aren't sayin' it. Also, did anyone else notice in the CQ Politics article we posted earlier that when you call the Jenkins for Congress campaign the number on their web site takes you straight to her campaign manager's cell phone?

Nothing's quite as sad as running a congressional campaign out of your basement.

Nancy Boyda? She sent out an e-mail, too...but instead of begging on her knees for money, she thanked her supporters for helping her already reach her fundraising goal for the quarter.

Today is the final day of the first quarter of 2008, and you know what that means. Our campaign must soon file our quarterly FEC report, disclosing all of the contributions we've received in the last three months.

By long tradition, that means we should send you a high-pitched e-mail this morning, begging for last-minute contributions. Our opponents have already sent their panicked calls for support. One admitted to being $20,000 behind his fundraising goals; the other was $5,000 in the red.

But I have good news. Our campaign has already met our fundraising goal for the first quarter of 2008 -- and that's an enormous credit to your efforts.

You've hosted fundraisers, contributed what you can afford, and served as tireless advocates for our campaign. Thanks to your support, we're entering the second quarter of 2008 on very strong financial footing. Thank you very much!

Of course, our work is not done. A new quarter begins tomorrow, and we'll need your continuing support through Election Day. We'll need your help to share our message with voters and to stem the tide of attack ads. We've done extraordinary work so far, but we must not let up now!

So instead of seeing this e-mail as a final call for first-quarter contributions, consider it an opportunity to leap toward our second-quarter goals. Let's take this chance to show Kansans that our campaign has earned their faith and support.

If you can, please contribute $100, $50, or $25 to start the second quarter off right. Together we can repeat our tremendous success of the first quarter and carry our momentum through Election Day!

With warm thanks,

Nancy Boyda
Member of Congress

After these last ditch efforts (and thank yous for, you know, meeting goals), where will they all end up? Keep on making predictions.

FEC deadline fast approaches...who will come out on top?

The weekend is always a slow time here at Boyda Bloc, but it's a perfect time to post ya'll with a question: With the FEC filing deadline coming on Monday, March 31, what do you think we should expect to see in terms of money raised and on-hand from Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, Jim Ryun and Lynn Jenkins?

Just as a refresher, this is where they all started this quarter (listed in "Cash on Hand order):

Congresswoman Nancy Boyda
4th Quarter raised: $218,054.81
Cycle-to-Date: $771,305.76
Cash on Hand: $654,229.18

Lynn Jenkins
4Q raised: $90,376.52
Cycle to Date: $406,377.37
Cash on hand: $416,241.73 (it's higher than contributions because of some pesky "other receipts."

Jim Ryun
4Q raised: 198,454.18
Cycle-to-Date: $960,127.85
Cash on Hand: $364,789.19

So, who's gonna raise what? Will Congresswoman Boyda continue to win the cash-on-hand battle? Will Jim continue to blow his wad on stamps? And will Lynn even manage to break $100K? Give us your guess as to amount raised and CoH.

BREAKING: Lynn Jenkins raises next to nothing!

Our updates are complete with Lynn Jenkins numbers, and, let me tell you, these are the best of the night!

4Q raised: A tiny, measly $90,376.52!!!! (Even less than Nick Jordan raised)
Cycle to Date: $406,377.37

Again, the number that pushes us all forward:
Cash on hand: $416,241.73 (it's higher than contributions because of some pesky "other receipts."

So, this quarter ends like all the others: with Nancy Boyda leading in the number that matters most: cash on hand. It's a little different this quarter, though...because she's got almost twice as much as Jim Ryun and hundreds of thousands more than Lynn Jenkins.

Here's the big question, though: what on Earth happened to Lynn Jenkins, CPA?

BREAKING: Boyda blows past Ryun!

Needs to be in the district some more:

4Q raised: 198,454.18
Cycle-to-Date: $960,127.85

HUGELY important:
Cash on Hand: ONLY $364,789.19!

BREAKING: Boyda raises $218K for 4Q, $654K COH

More to come, but Congresswoman Boyda's FEC report has been filled:

4th Quarter raised: $218,054.81
Cycle-to-Date: $771,305.76

And, the important one:
Cash on Hand: $654,420.83

Excellent numbers- more analysis tonight.