Is Kirk Winning the Money Race?

On Wednesday, Rep. Mark Kirk's Senate campaign announced that they had brought in $2.2 million in the first quarter of the year. Democratic opponent Alexi Giannoulias, however, declined to disclose his own fundraising haul.

Good news for Republicans. Mark Kirk has brought in a solid haul since the beginning of the year. In the first fundraising announcement since he secured the nomination, Kirk's campaign said they'd brought in $2.2 million, which the campaign said leaves them with more than $3 million to spend before the election in November.

Equally good news is the fact that Giannoulias declined to disclose his fundraising haul, instead opting to rip into Kirk for taking money from PACs and lobbyists. Giannoulias pledged not to take money from these groups, which would be a wonderful gesture if Giannoulias’ ties to corruption were not such an issue already. Giannoulias' decision not to announce (along with his pledge) probably means that his take was somewhat, if not significantly, less than Kirk's.

We will know what the official tally is sometime before April 15^th, the final day that the campaigns can file their finance reports with the Federal Elections commission. If the news shows Kirk significantly ahead, the news may have a positive impact on his fundraising, with reports of solid fundraising leading to even more donations, thus widening the gap. A cash cushion would give Kirk a much needed safety net since there is a decent chance that Giannoulias is going to call in the president to do some campaigning towards the end. This will steal a little of Kirk's thunder, but a cash advantage may well more than offset any role the president may play towards the end of the race.