September/October 2010 Issue

2010’s Self-Financed Candidates

It’s their election and they’ll buy if they want to.

Paul Kitagaki Jr./Zumapress.com

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Will these self-financed House and Senate challengers crash the party?

Senate

AMOUNT SELF-FINANCED / % OF TOTAL FUNDRAISING

Linda McMahon (R)
Former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO, grappling for Connecticut’s open seat
$22.1 million/99.9%

Jeff Greene
Forbes 400 member, one of two Dems in the race for Florida
Sen. Mel Martinez’s old seat
$5.9 million/99.9%

Carly Fiorina (R)
Former HP CEO taking on Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
$5.5 million/52%

William Binnie
Head of Carlisle Capital, up against “mama grizzly“
Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire GOP primary
$3.6 million/75%

David Malpass
GOPer hoping to challenge
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)
$2.5 million/89%

 

House

AMOUNT SELF-FINANCED / % OF TOTAL RAISED

Tom Ganley (R)
CEO of Ohio’s largest chain of car dealerships, running against Rep. Betty Sutton (D)
$3.5 million/94%

George Flinn
Owner of Flinn Broadcasting, Tennesee Republican
$2.9 million/93%

Randy Altschuler (R)
Electronics recycler hopes to challenge New York Rep. Timothy Bishop (D)
$2 million/71%

Wink Hartman (R)
Owner of Hartman Oil, running in Kansas’ open 4th district
$1.6 million/92%

Rudolph Moise
Doctor and 1 of 11 Dems competing for Florida’s 17th
$1 million/70%

As of July 23

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

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