June 30th Fundraising Deadline Very Important

• Author: Kyle Kutuchief
• Filed under: Congress, Ohio 2008
• Date: Jun 29,2008

The Democrat leaning interest group EMILY's List is named for an acronym: "Early Money Is Like Yeast…" and the name is finished by the phrase "it makes the dough rise." Though the group is partisan, the principle in their name applies to all candidates. A candidate running for office needs to show that he is building early support and the best indicator is how much money they have in the bank. It is sort of like poker when you have to call and show your cards. The filing deadline is June 30th and the reports will be released on July 15th. The Obama / McCain match up will get a lot of coverage. However, there are some down ticket races here in Ohio that are very important. Here are some of the races the country will be looking to as fundraising bell weather races:

1. Boccieri vs. Schuring (OH-16): This is a very important race for Ralph Regula's open seat in the Canton area. Democrat John Boccieri and his campaign staff have worked themselves up to be the #2 targeted congressional race in the country for the DCCC. I'm curious how much national money that ranking has brought in. An email went out across the country from Wes Clark asking Democrats to donate to the Boccieri campaign. Boccieri is going to have money in the bank, but the question is how the Schuring campaign is holding up. I'm most interested in the numbers from this race.

2. Kilroy vs. Stivers (OH-15): This is the open seat race for Republican Deb Preyce's seat on the west side of Columbus. Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy announced a while ago that she had crossed the million dollar mark. I was unable to find her exact ranking with the DCCC, but I know she is very high because it is an open seat and she has shown how viable her candidacy is with her early money. Stivers will need a strong showing to prove that the race isn't over. Kilroy could be the candidate with the most cash on hand in the state after this filing deadline.

3. Wulsin vs. Schmidt (OH-2): Jean Schmidt is the Republican incumbent who is trying to defend her district in southwest Ohio. Dr. Victoria Wulsin has earned her way into the DCCC's Red to Blue program. Though not as prestigious as the levels where Kilroy and Boccieri are, it will still net her some resources. Wulsin is running for her second time for the seat and will benefit from her experience. As a side note, she has an excellent website. Very professional.

These are three races in three very different parts of the state that the nation will be watching closely through November.