The Republican Governors Association quickly and happily announces their fundraising for the quarter, and notes we haven’t heard from their Democratic counterparts yet:
The Republican Governors Association announced raising $22.1 million for the first half of the year, eclipsing the amount raised for the entire year in 2007, the last comparable election year. The RGA’s 2011 fundraising total also significantly outpaces that from 2008 and 2009.
“The RGA’s fundraising success was a true team effort and every Republican governor deserves to share in the credit. The RGA’s record breaking fundraising reflects our governors’ position as the leaders of our Party,” said RGA Chairman Rick Perry. “Republican governors are proving that the states are the most effective places from which to transform and save our country, and the RGA benefits from their leadership.”
The RGA has also retired all of the more than $3 million in debt it carried into the year and has $16.2 million cash on hand, twice the amount it had on June 30, 2007.
“The RGA has become the nation’s most impactful political organization and the most effective place to invest for those who believe limited government and free market solutions are the keys to solving our country’s challenges,” said RGA Vice Chairman Bob McDonnell. “In state after state, Republican governors are showing what it means to lead with the next generation in mind.”
In a way, this isn’t surprising; the political environment is much better for Republicans now than it was in spring 2007, and there are more Republican governors now than there were then: Bob McDonnell instead of Tim Kaine in Virginia, Bill Haslam instead of Phil Bredesen in Tennessee, Bobby Jindal instead of Kathleen Blanco in Louisiana, Suzanna Martinez instead of Bill Richardson in New Mexico, Jan Brewer instead of Janet Napolitano in Arizona, Mary Fallin instead of Brad Henry in Oklahoma, Terry Branstad instead of Tom Vilsack in Iowa, Tom Corbett instead of Ed Rendell in Pennsylvania, John Kasich instead of Ted Strickland in Ohio, Rick Snyder instead of Jennifer Granholm in Michigan, Scott Walker instead of Jim Doyle in Wisconsin, Sam Brownback instead of Kathleen Sebelius in Kansas, Paul LePage instead of John Baldacci in Maine, Chris Christie instead of Jon Corzine in New Jersey…