This is a great analysis...

Senate — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:51:10 -0400

...hard to argue with any of it.

How Hagan and Dole's numbers compare

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:11:22 -0400

Who's ahead in Senate fundraising?

Both U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole and Democratic rival Kay Hagan have released the results of their second-quarter fundraising, although actual campaign finance reports are not yet available.

Here's a breakdown of the numbers:

Fundraising: Since April 17, Dole raised $1.69 million, while Hagan raised $1.54 million. Though Dole's ahead by $150,000, Hagan's folks are fairly claiming they've "closed the fundraising gap." A key test will be whether Hagan can sustain that.

Cash on Hand: Dole says she had $2.7 million in cash on hand at the end of the quarter, while Hagan says she has $1.2 million. Dole has 2 1/4 times as much money to spend on the general election, a clear advantage no matter how you slice it.

Spending: Dole had $3.16 million at the end of the first quarter, raised $1.69 million, and ended with $2.7 million. That means she spent more than $2 million. Hagan had $317,000, raised $1.54 million, and ended with $1.2 million. That means she spent $657,000.

Clearly, Dole still has the financial advantage, which she used to buy ads that gave her a rebound in the polls. Hagan is doing fairly well with fundraising and keeping expenses down, but time will tell if she can keep it up and boost name recognition.

As Greensboro's Doug Clark argues, Hagan may be able to make up some ground by grabbing onto Barack Obama's (possible) coattails. Ads from outside groups may also make a difference since so far they've only targeted Dole.

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This is a great analysis...

How Hagan and Dole's numbers compare