U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz preserved his fundraising lead over U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa during the past quarter, but both Democrats saw their donations dip as the competition for campaign money increased nationally.
Schatz raised about $601,320 from January through March and has topped $4 million overall, according to his federal campaign finance report. Hanabusa raised about $427,860 during the past quarter and more than $2 million overall, her report shows.
The quarterly figures were the lowest for Schatz and Hanabusa since they announced their primary campaigns last year. While the August primary to fill out the remainder of the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye’s term is among the most intriguing in the nation, a Democrat will likely prevail in the November general election. Consequently, the big money is concentrated on other races that might influence whether Democrats keep political control of the Senate.
But Schatz’s fundraising superiority is starting to become visible. Over the past month, the Schatz campaign has released television advertisements on protecting Social Security and achieving equal pay for women, core values for primary voters. The Hanabusa campaign has yet to air advertisements and will likely concentrate advertising closer to the primary.
Jerry Burris, a former political columnist and editorial page editor for the Honolulu Advertiser, said campaign money may be more important to Schatz than Hanabusa at this point because the senator has lower name identification with voters. Schatz was appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie over Hanabusa to replace Inouye in December 2012.
"He has to keep introducing himself to people. He has the bully pulpit as the incumbent, so he gets some free publicity — more than she does — but he needs to keep making himself the senator," Burris said. "And that takes advertising. You can’t just do it with press releases."
Schatz has had some high-profile fundraising help.
Former Vice President Al Gore, who endorsed Schatz last year, starred at a fundraiser for the senator in Honolulu on Monday.
President Barack Obama and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., publicly endorsed Schatz on the last day of the fundraising quarter in March. U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., the majority whip, appeared at a fundraiser for Schatz in Honolulu in February.
Schatz had $2.4 million in cash on hand at the end of March, according to his report. Hanabusa had $1 million.
"Sen. Schatz appreciates the deep support from so many people across Hawaii," Clay Schroers, Schatz’s campaign manager, said in an email. "It is a strong validation of his work to represent Hawaii’s values in Washington, and to build an economy that works for all our families."
Hanabusa said in a statement that she was encouraged by the "outpouring of support from across Hawaii. We would like to thank everyone for their generous contributions to our campaign. This election is about trust. Who do the people of Hawaii trust to represent their values and legislate on their behalf in the U.S. Senate. Your support means everything to us and I promise to keep listening to your concerns and fighting for our families."
The election is to fill out the remainder of Inouye’s term, which runs through 2016. Cam Cavasso, a former state representative who lost twice to Inouye, held a news conference Tuesday at the state Capitol to formally announce his Republican campaign.
