Dems crow over Andal fundraising figures

With pre-primary fundraising totals released today, Democrats were quick to pounce on Republican U.S. House candidate Dean Andal’s for what is sure to be widely seen as a disappointing haul.

The fundraising reports show Andal taking in just $11,434 between April 1 and May 14 – far short of Democratic incumbent Jerry McNerney’s $148,783 during the same period.

"Is Dean Andal too radical, even for Republican donors? Andal's disastrous fundraising makes us even more confident that we will win California's 11th Congressional district in 2008," said Yoni Cohen, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Brian Brokaw, a spokesman for the California Democratic Party, similarly argued that Andal’s fundraising totals indicated that he lacked the strength to topple McNerney. “Either Dean Andal has been on vacation for the last 6 weeks or GOP donors have taken a look around the country and realized they’re more safe keeping their checkbooks closed this year.”

National Republicans have made McNerney, a first term Congressman who unseated Republican Richard Pombo in 2006, a top target on their target this fall. They recruited Andal, a former Assemblyman and member of the California Board of Equalization, in the hopes that he could take back a Stockton-area seat that has traditionally favored Republicans. George W. Bush won 54 percent of the district in 2004.

But Andal’s fundraising numbers, so far, have come up well short of McNerney’s. Andal has taken in $636,000 during the cycle and has $508,945 in cash on hand. McNerney has taken in $1,872,527 during the cycle and has $1,228,907 in cash on hand.

But Richard Temple, an adviser to Andal, said that the campaign's fundraising was more than enough to keep it competitve.

"Their huffing and puffing is comical -- sounds like the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz. Dean Andal has over $500,000 in the bank, more than most challengers across the country, and he has no primary opposition. In 2006 then challenger Jerry McNerney had $71,000 cash on hand and over $85,000 in debt. Dean is positioned well to win this race in November," he said.

And Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Democrats’ focus on Andal’s fundraising was a sign of McNerney’s vulnerability.

“Democrats are reduced to hoping that Dean Andal won’t raise the necessary funds to compete because they know they can’t beat him otherwise. There is no greater motivation for Republican donors than Jerry McNerney’s record of opposing funding for our troops in harm’s way and his penchant for massive tax hikes,” he said.