7th Dist. bankrolls on track

O'Donnell has edge in fundraising, but Democrats keep up

Chris Barge, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 7, 2006 at midnight

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Republican congressional candidate Rick O'Donnell preserved his financial edge in the battle for Colorado's top swing seat, according to second-quarter fundraising numbers the 7th District candidates will file later this month.

But Democrats Ed Perlmutter and Peggy Lamm stayed competitive in the district spanning Denver's western, northern and eastern suburbs, where Republican Bob Beauprez is giving up his congressional seat to run for governor.

Underdog Democrat Herb Rubenstein kept his efforts alive by loaning $50,000 to his campaign, part of which he will spend starting today on a television ad touting his stance against the war in Iraq.

The numbers show the race remains on track to be one of the country's most competitive this fall, Denver pollster Floyd Cirulli said.

O'Donnell, bucking the disenchantment some voters feel for Republicans in Congress, will need every penny he raises, Cirulli said.

Toward that end, President Bush will headline a $1,000-a-plate, private fundraising luncheon in Denver on July 21, O'Donnell's campaign confirmed Thursday.

Perlmutter, who is popular with the state Democratic Party and has the lion's share of endorsements, will need to spend aggressively this month to counteract Lamm's positive name identification, Cirulli said.

Former Gov. Dick Lamm and his wife, Dottie, are popular among Colorado Democrats. Peggy Lamm was married to Dick Lamm's brother. They are now divorced.

In the end, Democrats likely will chose their candidate in the Aug. 8 primary based on who they think can beat O'Donnell, Cirulli said. That means Lamm will have to find a way to distinguish herself from Perlmutter.

O'Donnell's campaign raised $305,000 from April through June, his most successful quarter to date. The former director of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education has raised $1,245,000 this election cycle and had banked $859,000 of that as of June 30, he said Thursday.

Perlmutter estimated that he raised just over $300,000 during the quarter, bringing his total to just over $1 million, with about $515,000 of that still on hand.

Lamm raised $243,000 this quarter, bringing her total to $650,000. She did not disclose Thursday how much cash she has on hand.

Lamm had $216,000 banked at the end of the first quarter, however, which was less than half of Perlmutter's war chest.

Rubenstein said he had about $50,000 on hand as of June 30, which was the same amount he loaned his campaign during the second quarter. In all, the businessman and former lawyer has loaned himself $100,000, with the campaign paying him back about $19,000 of that.

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