Fundraising reports are out today. I’d note that a good message can generate good fundraising, but good fundraising can’t generate a good message. I’d also note that while every campaign likes to tout fundraising success, I pay the most attention when there’s a significant margin, or when the results are idiosyncratic – a first-time candidate flush with cash, or a longtime incumbent who’s got a tiny reserve, suggesting complacency . . .

Rep. Frank Kratovil (D., Md.) is a top GOP target, and can breathe a bit easier, with a 2-to-1 cash-on-hand advantage over his challenger, Andy Harris. But the margin this quarter was a bit closer, Kratovil with $239,549 in new receipts, while Harris gained $179,629.

The news is better for Republicans in the Ohio Senate race, where “Republican Rob Portman scored one of the most decisive fundraising victories over a Senate opponent this quarter, raising more than twice the campaign cash of his leading Democratic challenger Lee Fisher.”