Political newcomer Don Wiviott, one of three Democrats who had entered the 2008 U.S. Senate race before Pete Domenici announced his retirement earlier this month, raised more than $130,000 during the third quarter of the year.
With the entrance last week of Albuquerque Mayor and Democrat Martin Chávez into the race, Wiviott has committed to spending $2.1 million on the primary, and says he will fund the amount himself if he doesn’t raise it. The spokeswoman for the
Wiviott began the campaign at the end of the second quarter of the year with $400,000 of his own money. He raised $130,083 during the third quarter, bringing the total contributed to his campaign to about $535,000 – including the money he gave. Wiviott has spent about $160,000. He ended September with $371,711 on hand.
Though his campaign finance report isn’t yet online, the numbers were released by Wiviott’s campaign.
As a political newcomer, Wiviott had to start with his own money to build an organization, said spokeswoman Caroline Buerkle. He hired staff and set up an office, and didn’t begin heavy fundraising until Sept. 10, she said.
Two other Democrats who were in the race before Domenici announced his retirement 10 days ago – Jim Hannan and Leland Lehrman – haven’t filed third-quarter reports, and didn’t file reports after the second quarter because they didn’t cross the $5,000 threshold that requires it. Chávez, the only Democrat who has entered the race since Domenici announced his retirement, didn’t begin raising money until October, after the end of the third quarter.
On the Republican side, U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., who is running for the Senate seat, raised $238,000 for her congressional campaign during the third quarter and had $754,000 on hand on Sept. 30.
U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., who is considering entering the Senate race, raised $251,021 during the quarter and spent $52,040. That left him with $582,312 on hand, all of it money he can spend on a Senate race if he runs.