Texas Democratic Rep. Edwards Flush With Cash

By Greg Giroux | July 14, 2009 6:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chet Edwards (Getty Images/Edward Cavanaugh)

Democratic Rep. Chet Edwards, who represents a strongly conservative-leaning district in central Texas, is organizing a well-funded campaign for an 11th term next year.

Edwards' campaign said Tuesday that it had $869,000 cash-on-hand as July began -- the most that it has ever had 16 months ahead of a general election. Edwards had $684,000 cash-on-hand in mid-2007, $562,000 in mid-2005 and $307,000 in mid-2003.

Edwards' campaign said that the fundraising figures, which it will report in greater detail to the Federal Election Commission by Wednesday's deadline, demonstrate that the congressman "has the strong early momentum it will take to win in 2010."

Edwards, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, has often been a target of Republican strategists who covet his 17th District, which includes Waco, College Station and President George W. Bush's ranch in Crawford.

In the 2008 presidential election, John McCain took more than two-thirds of the 17th's vote, which helps explain why Edwards was held to a modest 53 percent vote share against Republican Rob Curnock, whose underfunded campaign didn't attract national attention. According to my calculations, only Gene Taylor of Mississippi represents a district that was more strongly pro-McCain in the 2008 election and is currently held by a House Democrat.

Edwards usually does better in midterm election years, when the district vote is less strongly tied to its presidential preference. Edwards in 2006 turned back a big-spending challenge from Van Taylor, a businessman and Iraq War veteran, by a margin of 58 percent to 40 percent.

Curnock is back for a rematch. Timothy Delasandro, Chuck Wilson and Darren Yancy also are seeking the Republican nomination.

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