Washington Park, Denver. (July 26, 2010) |
DENVER - Andrew Romanoff has made campaign finance and fundraising a central theme of his underdog campaign for U.S. Senate, trying to turn his opponent's fundraising prowess into a liability.
Last week, Romanoff, the former House Speaker, sold his Washington Park bungalow and loaned nearly all of the proceeds to his campaign.
And yet, Romanoff's campaign is taking a low-key approach when it comes to highlighting a dramatic move that would seem to underscore his apparent willingness to put his money where his mouth is, even as his opponents and critics try to dismiss the move as one of "desperation."
"It's not really a part of our message," Romanoff said Monday night. "But I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't expect to win."
Then, Romanoff took another shot at Sen. Michael Bennet, the first-term Democrat appointed to the Senate in 2009 -- who most political observers expect to win the August 10 primary.
"When I get to the Senate, I'll work on reforming the way we finance campaigns so candidates of modest means can win elections without selling their homes. It's hard in this case because I'm running against a guy who's taken millions from special-interest groups."
Romanoff, who bought his home one block of east of Washington Park in the 1990s, sold it to a developer for $360,000. From that, he loaned $325,000 to his campaign.
Last quarter, Romanoff raised $620,000 in contributions, his campaign's best showing to date. Bennet's campaign raised $1.63 million during the same period. Romanoff, however, has not taken any special-interest money for his Senate campaign, and has questioned whether his opponent's acceptance of PAC money has influenced his Senate votes.
"It's just too bad that Andrew is spending this money on attack ads aimed at distorting Michael's record rather than talking about the issues he claims to be committed to addressing," said Bennet's campaign spokesman, Trevor Kincaid.
Romanoff has spent most of the remaining $464,000 his campaign reported in cash on hand on television advertising for the final weeks of the primary.
Campaigns are allowed to pay back personal loans from candidates if they receive enough money.
According to a Romanoff staffer, volunteers and staff have been inspired by Romanoff's decision to put so much of his personal assets on the line in this race.
"When people in the office found out about this, they started crying," said Melissa Caplan, Romanoff's cousin and campaign assistant. "They're promising to work even harder now."
Last week, Romanoff, the former House Speaker, sold his Washington Park bungalow and loaned nearly all of the proceeds to his campaign.
And yet, Romanoff's campaign is taking a low-key approach when it comes to highlighting a dramatic move that would seem to underscore his apparent willingness to put his money where his mouth is, even as his opponents and critics try to dismiss the move as one of "desperation."
"It's not really a part of our message," Romanoff said Monday night. "But I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't expect to win."
Then, Romanoff took another shot at Sen. Michael Bennet, the first-term Democrat appointed to the Senate in 2009 -- who most political observers expect to win the August 10 primary.
"When I get to the Senate, I'll work on reforming the way we finance campaigns so candidates of modest means can win elections without selling their homes. It's hard in this case because I'm running against a guy who's taken millions from special-interest groups."
Romanoff, who bought his home one block of east of Washington Park in the 1990s, sold it to a developer for $360,000. From that, he loaned $325,000 to his campaign.
Last quarter, Romanoff raised $620,000 in contributions, his campaign's best showing to date. Bennet's campaign raised $1.63 million during the same period. Romanoff, however, has not taken any special-interest money for his Senate campaign, and has questioned whether his opponent's acceptance of PAC money has influenced his Senate votes.
"It's just too bad that Andrew is spending this money on attack ads aimed at distorting Michael's record rather than talking about the issues he claims to be committed to addressing," said Bennet's campaign spokesman, Trevor Kincaid.
Romanoff has spent most of the remaining $464,000 his campaign reported in cash on hand on television advertising for the final weeks of the primary.
Campaigns are allowed to pay back personal loans from candidates if they receive enough money.
According to a Romanoff staffer, volunteers and staff have been inspired by Romanoff's decision to put so much of his personal assets on the line in this race.
"When people in the office found out about this, they started crying," said Melissa Caplan, Romanoff's cousin and campaign assistant. "They're promising to work even harder now."
