Kendrick Meek's money

The campaign finance reports aren't due until July 15, but Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek raised another $1.2-million in the last quarter, his campaign says. That brings his total haul to more than $3-million, including the $347,000 he transfered from his congressional campaign. About 4,300 people have contributed, and $2.5-million of that total is for the primary.

"No other non-incumbent Democratic candidate for senate is raising money like we are to build a movement,'' said Ana Cruz, noting that, unlike Republican Charlie Crist, Meek is not concentrating on raising money for both the general election and primary.

"Our support is both broad and deep. We haven't gone to these big donors and said, "Max out to us for both the primary and general election now. This shows the guy's got traction."

--Adam Smith

The campaign finance reports aren't due until July 15, but Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek raised another $1.2-million in the last quarter, his campaign says. That brings his total haul to more than $3-million, including the $347,000 he transfered from his congressional campaign. About 4,300 people have contributed, and $2.5-million of that total is for the primary.

"No other non-incumbent Democratic candidate for senate is raising money like we are to build a movement,'' said Ana Cruz, noting that, unlike Republican Charlie Crist, Meek is not concentrating on raising money for both the general election and primary.

"Our support is both broad and deep. We haven't gone to these big donors and said, "Max out to us for both the primary and general election now. This shows the guy's got traction."

--Adam Smith

Rubio's meager fundraising haul

If Marco Rubio was hoping to match the growing national buzz over his U.S. Senate challenge of Charlie Crist with a big debut fundraising quarter, this won't cut it: He raised $340,000 in his first quarter as a candidate, according to an e-mail to supporters. No word yet on his cash on hand.
 
"Together, generous support like yours has generated over $340,000 in overall contributions during the second quarter, over $144,000 of which was raised online, including over $34,000 in the last two days of the period alone.  You were one of nearly 2,500 donors, representing all 50 states and more than 55 Florida counties.  We are also well on our way to unleashing the enormous potential of our passionate and committed donors, over 96 percent of which have the continued ability to support my campaign repeatedly, consistently and quarter after quarter.

"This is a strong statement about the direction you believe our Republican Party, our state and our nation should take.  It is an encouraging reminder about how piece by piece, supporter by supporter and idea by idea, we are building a movement that will only grow and gain momentum as we continue on this path."

--Adam Smith

Rubio raising expecations for Crist's fundraising

It's the game candidates love to play when fundraising deadlines approach: the expectations game. That means raising expectation for opponents (so they fall short) and lowering expectations for themselves (so they do better.)

Enter Senate candidate Marco Rubio, who says of rival Gov. Charlie Crist in a fundraising appeal: Thus, it should come as no surprise when the fundraising figures are released and he easily posts a monster number in the range of at least $8-10 million. He is, after all, a record-breaking fundraiser who in the first quarter of his 2006 gubernatorial campaign raised $3.8 million when the cap on individual donations was set at $500. In this campaign, he can now raise five times that amount, has dedicated this past month to a breakneck fundraising schedule featuring literally an event every night and is already hauling in money not only for the primary but also for the general election.

Rubio says he's not playing hardball with Matthews

Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio said his Iran-related tweet that elicited a jab from MSNBC's Chris Matthews wasn't aimed at getting national publicity. "I'm not quite that cunning,'' Rubio quipped after giving a speech tonight in Hallandale Beach, insisting that he didn't know Matthews had talked about him on his show.

Rubio's recent tweet: "I have a feeling the situation in Iran would be a little different if they had a 2nd amendment like ours" drew this response from Matthews:  "Wow, things would be different if the protesters had the constitutional right to bear arms to fight back against the Iranian Guard? I hadn't thought of that.  Then again, it wouldn't really be a non-violent protest, would it Mr. Rubio, if the non-violent protesters were walking around with guns."

The former House Speaker said tonight that he wasn't advocating violence. "I think the Second Amendment is a fundamental right,'' he said.

An endorsement so nice Rubio released it twice

Former House Speaker Marco Rubio is squeezing his Senate endorsements for every bit of publicity he can get. Although he announced support from former presidential campaign candidate Mike Huckabee before, he did it again today -- with a video from Huckabee, in the hope of getting a second bite at the proverbial media apple.

This strategy has worked before -- Republican Gov. Charlie Crist got two media blasts out of a Senate endorsement from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

One more thing about the Huckabee endorsement -- remember when Rubio endorsed him during the presidential primary and Huckabee suddenly did a complete turnaround on the Cuban embargo? (Huckabee had opposed the embargo when he was governor of Arkansas.) Rubio's newest ally, Sen. James DeMint of South Carolina, favors the embargo but opposes travel restrictions. Maybe Rubio, a hardliner on Cuba, can get DeMint to change his mind on travel, too.

Endorsements are for losers

Sigh. If only politicians set aside a fraction of the time they spend chasing and flaunting campaign endorsements for real work. The economy would be humming, the terrorists would be losing, and affordable health care would include weekly massage treatments.

But as we head into the dog days of summer, when most voters are paying closer attention to their cuticles than to elections, candidates have nothing better to do than fund-raise and name-drop.

At this early stage in the election cycle, endorsements are not directed at voters seeking assurance. They are for impressing donors, intimidating opponents and returning favors. Keep reading here.

Bold-faced Republicans backing Rubio

For a list of prominent Republicans who have apparently had enough of Gov. Charlie Crist, look to the host committee of former House Speaker Marco Rubio's upcoming Senate fundraiser at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.

The list includes Reps. Steve Bovo, Carlos Lopez-Cantera, Eric Fresen, and Gaston Cantens, businessmen Sergio Pino, Jorge Arrizurieta, Osvaldo Vento and Norman Braman, and County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa.

Invitation here: Download MR - BILTMORE -062409 - EVITE

Crist's fundraising sprint continues

If it's Monday, the Republican governor and U.S. Senate candidate must be in Fort Lauderdale. This event is hosted by Art and Belinda Keiser of Keiser University He's a Republican; she's a Democrat.

Invitation here: Download FUNDRAING RECEPTION HONORING GOVERNOR CHARLIE CRIST JUNE 29TH

Rubio, DeMint parse immigration stances

Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio said only "nuances'' separate his stance on immigration from that of his new ally, U.S. Sen. James DeMint of South Carolina.

Rubio, who is Cuban-American, said he agrees with DeMint's position that English should be the official language of the U.S.

"We have to have a common language that unites the people,'' said Rubio, the former state lawmaker from Miami. "I'm not in favor of banning other languages, but my name is spelled the same way in Spanish as it is in English."

Lucky for him, since ballots might not be available in Spanish and Creole in Rubio's diverse Miami turf under legislation backed by DeMint that says government documents and services need only be available in English.

DeMint breaks with GOP brass and backs Rubio

Crossing Republican leaders, U.S. Sen. James DeMint of South Carolina is the first sitting senator to endorse former House Speaker Marco Rubio over Gov. Charlie Crist for the Senate.

While few Florida voters have even heard of DeMint, the endorsement is intended to send a signal to  conservative leaders and donors nationwide that Rubio is a serious contender against the popular Crist.

"He is exactly the kind of Senator Florida needs, and exactly the kind of leader our party is looking for: a conservative's conservative with a record of success in a swing state, a self-made first generation American, a dynamic Republican spokesman in two languages, a young husband and father himself dealing with the same problems middle class families like his face every day,'' DeMint writes in today's FOX News Forum.

Rubio hopes to milk this endorsement for all its worth, with a press conference in Washington today and a phone call with bloggers. Perhaps the first Cuban-American speaker of the Florida House will be asked about DeMint's hardline stance on immigration; the senator favors forcing illegal workers to return to their home countries and making English the official language of the United States.

Read what DeMint has to say here.