Some thoughts on the Republican Lt. Gov. race from CottonMouth
I’ve been asked repeatedly who I think will win the Republican Lieutenant Governor primary. 42 days out, this is more interesting than I believed it was a month ago. What follows is a summary of my thoughts on the race.
Tate Reeves continues to ride positive press based on his record-breaking cash on hand numbers. There’s something under the surface, though, that is being a bit overlooked. Reeves has a massive lead in cash on hand due in large part to the money he had left over from 2007. In terms of the actual amount of money raised year-to-date, Reeves has outpaced Hewes 57.1% to 42.9%. That’s significant, but it isn’t nearly the same as the 70/30 lead Reeves enjoys in terms of cash on hand.
Which brings to mind something else: how much money is “enough” in terms of a statewide primary race? Money exists in politics to get your message out via media. Traditional outlets such as TV and radio are important, but not as important as they were even 4 years ago thanks to the increased saturation of the internet and social media. That being said, a candidate still has to be on cable and broadcast TV in order to stand any chance of winning a statewide primary. I would argue that both Hewes and Reeves will have enough money to be effective in terms of TV advertising going into August 2.
Cottonmouth
6/22/11
