Franken: $1.35 million and counting…

04/11/2007

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

In just a few days, federal campaigns will release their first quarter fundraising figures, an event that is generally interesting to a handful of political analysts and absolutely nobody else.

But there's been a buzz surrounding our campaign since Al made his announcement on Valentine's Day, and that buzz has turned into a roar since word leaked out that, with generous contributions from so many of you, we kind of blew the roof off the place in our first six weeks.

First, the numbers. We raised a little over $1.35 million in the first 45 days of the campaign. In addition, Al is a big proponent of fiscal responsibility (that's why we didn't end up getting the Jacuzzi for the office). And so we entered the second quarter with over $1.1 million cash on hand.

CLICK HERE TO KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING!
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That's the number that impressed the pundits and observers. But the number we're proudest of is 10,000 - that's how many people decided to make an investment in our campaign. If you were one of them, you helped us make an unmistakable statement that Al is a strong and serious candidate, and that we're on our way to building a winning campaign. And we can't thank you enough.

It's an amazing accomplishment, and the press took notice (there was even an article about our apparently unprecedented tactic of, er, telling people what we were going to do with their money). And I think we all deserve congratulations, especially Al. That's what he told me to write, anyway.

In any case, as exciting as our early success is, we still have 573 days left to go. Here at the office, our giant map is starting to fill with pins as Al zooms around the state in his hybrid, meeting with Minnesotans and talking about the issues. From Fulda to Ham Lake, the campaign trail is full of adventure (and pie), and you can follow along on our campaign blog (where you'll also find a recommendation for THE place to stay overnight in Redwood Falls).

Oh - and if you haven't heard, Al's going to be on CNN's Larry King Live tonight. The segment airs live at 9:00 pm Eastern (8:00 here in Minneapolis). We've been assured that there will be no questions regarding the paternity of Anna Nicole Smith's baby, but Al's been studiously preparing, just in case.

As always, thanks for your support, and keep checking back at http://www.alfranken.com for more campaign news, videos, events, and, yes, restaurant reviews.

Onward!

Andy Barr
Al Franken for Senate

P.S. - While we raised far more money than anyone expected in the first quarter, Norm Coleman raised more (although he had the whole quarter and STILL barely beat us). It's hard to out-raise an incumbent with his hands in the pockets of the special interests. Want to help level the playing field? Click here
https://secure.alfranken.com/page/contribute