No doubt Pat Toomey and Mike Fitzpatrick would breathe a little easier with new cash infusions for these final weeks. The two men, running for Senate and for Congress in Bucks County’s 8th district, respectively, are both polling very well against their Democrat opponents, but both men are also at a disadvantage with diminished war chests heading into Election Day.
While Toomey out-raised Sestak in the third quarter, his campaign spent more, and he now has slightly less than Joe Sestak, according to a recent report. Sestak has about $2.7 million in cash on hand, while Toomey boasts about $2.3 million. According to the latest Rasmussen poll, Toomey leads Sestak by 10 among likely voters.
Mike Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, is “all in” in his second political struggle with Democrat Pat Murphy for who will represent southeastern Pennsylvania’s 8th district. Fitzpatrick, who represented the district for one term, was defeated by Murphy in 2006 and is staging a comeback to reclaim the seat.
Fitzpatrick is at a considerable disadvantage, though, with under $500,000 raised in the third quarter to Murphy’s nearly $1 million. Put in perspective, Murphy has raised more than $3.6 million over the past 24 months against Fitzpatrick, who has raised a paltry $1.4 million in comparison.
Fitzpatrick enjoys wide support from the Tea Party and his conservative base, however, in a district that he lost in 2006 by less than two percent of the vote. A Franklin & Marshall poll had him leading Murphy by 14 points.
His 8th district congressional race has become one of the most watched in the commonwealth and the nation.