Rawlings-Blake has $800K in the bank
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is starting her mayoral campaign with a pretty penny in the bank-- she has $800,000 cash-in-hand, fundraiser Colleen Martin-Lauer told me last night.
More than $600,000 came through an event Rawlings-Blake held last week at The Hippodrome, at the same time comedian Bill Cosby was stumping for her challenger, Otis Rolley.
We'll get a better sense of how the other candidates stack up on Thursday when campaign finance reports are made public. Other potential challengers include State Sen. Catherine Pugh, Councilman Carl Stokes, Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors vice president Joseph T. "Jody" Landers, and Clerk of Court Frank Conaway.
Martin-Lauer, who also handles fundraising for Gov. Martin O'Malley, said $800,000 is a "pretty significant number to be at in January before the campaign really starts."
Rawlings-Blake was appointed mayor last February following the resignation of Sheila Dixon to settle criminal charges.
Although Rawlings-Blake was not elected mayor, she benefits from her incumbent status in drawing the donors with deep pockets. Her fundraiser last week boasted a host committee that included many of the city's top developers and business leaders.
Political observers say between $1 and $1.5 million is needed to win mayoral race in Baltimore. With $800,000 in hand in January, Rawlings-Blake could be well on her way to meeting her fundraising goals.
Comments
What about Mark Brown?? He's running for mayor also!
Posted by: Mark | January 18, 2011 1:21 PM
Election already bought and paid for. She hangs with the same crowd as Dixon. Developers and the wealthy win yet again.
Posted by: bryan | January 18, 2011 3:16 PM
She will never win again. Too many people dislike her! She screwed all the wrong people, and has really done nothing for the city of Baltimore.
Posted by: kai flei | January 19, 2011 7:23 PM