You Win Some, You Lose Some

The 1stQ FEC reports should've served as wake-up calls for several incumbents and challengers who had lackluster results. But now that the 2ndQ numbers are in, we've seen that some have corrected their ways, while others have not.

-- Randy Kuhl (R-NY 26) and Lincoln Davis (D-TN 04) are among those that have cleaned up their acts. Kuhl nearly tripled his anemic 1stQ numbers, and actually outraised '06 nominee Eric Massa (D). He still trails in CoH, but time will tell if this is improvement marks a turning point for his camp, or just a blip. And in TN, Davis got a jolt last qtr when his opponent out-banked him. He seemed determined not to let that happen again, and now has a comfortable, but not overwhelming, CoH lead.

-- But Tom Feeney (R-FL 24) and '06 NC-08 nominee Larry Kissell (D) have not heeded the warnings. Ex-state Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D) has now out-raised and out-banked Feeney for two qtrs in a row. Like the superior team that keeps letting the underdog in the game, Feeney has not been able to close the door on Kosmas. Is it too late now? Kissell's rural CD makes fundraising tough, but as a top-tier Red to Bluer, shouldn't he be banking more? With Robin Hayes (D-NC 08) already on the air with hard-hitting TV ads, Kissell can't afford another poor qtr.

-- Fundraising numbers never tell us the full story, but they do send an indication of whether a campaign is healthy or not. And that's not good news for Feeney and Kissell.