Following last night’s deadline for first-quarter financial reporting, Carol Butler, campaign manager for Bill Halter, said that the candidate had raised over $2M since announcing that he would seek Blanche Lincoln’s Senate seat.
Obviously, given the monetary lead Lincoln had as of the last reporting deadline (nearly $5M in the bank), it was important for Halter to put up a big number here, which he definitely did. As Lincoln continues to show poorly in polls against the potential Republican candidates and sees her lead over Halter dwindle away, I would say Halter’s strong first-quarter showing is an indication that many people are not buying Lincoln’s negative attacks and, instead, are focusing on replacing her with someone who is actually a Democrat.