The noise in the Governor's Race this week is all about fund-raising totals, because reports were due to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance on Wednesday.

The story the numbers expose is the reality that Bruce can compete with the Republicans from now 'til November.

The Campaign for Change reported an impressive $720,000 in donations from nearly 1,000 contributors. More importantly, it shows that Bruce is poised for a strong stretch run and has the resources to beat the Republicans in November.

When Ernie Fletcher began airing TV ads in early March, Bruce was the only Democrat with the resources to compete with him on the airwaves. Fletcher
has already raised more than $3 million, about three times as much as any Democrat.

As Democrats consider the force of the Republican financing machine, it's important to realize that Bruce is the only Democrat candidate with the resources, and the organization, to win back the Governor's Mansion in
the fall. 

While a large chunk of the $3.9 million the campaign has spent thus far has gone toward television advertising, money spent on building a strong grassroots organization is paying off as well. The campaign will have a strong Get Out the Vote effort ready for the primary.

Instead of being holed up in a room dialing for dollars from special interests, as some other candidates must do, Bruce is talking to voters on the campaign trail, whether it's at Bluegrass Barbeques, the campaign's online chat sessions or attending public events.

That dollar figure includes spending on television through the May 22 primary.

Bruce is happy to invest only his own money in the campaign, but a number of folks wanted to show support for the ticket. When he is elected, Bruce will not be beholden to special interests because he doesn't need their money to get elected.

Still, it's pretty gratifying to see that the campaign, despite getting a late start, matched its strongest fund-raising competitors nearly dollar for dollar in the last eight weeks. It also shows the value of the strong
organization that includes seven regional offices.

And of course, Bruce and Greg themselves are working hard on the campaign trail. During "Barbecue Week" going on right now, the candidates are appearing at six Bluegrass Barbecues in seven days.

------
Posted by: on 04/26/2007 at 11:00 a.m.