So far only one candidate for Dane County Executivehas filed the necessary campaign finance paperwork today. Unfortunately, that one candidate, Scott McDonell, did not file his papers electronically, which means I have to go to the county clerk's office to see the numbers.
Regardless, by tomorrow we should have figures which will distinguish the serious candidates from the unserious ones. A few things to keep in mind:
Joe Wineke: If the former state Democratic party chair can't mobilize the old network of Dem fundraisers to his camp, then there doesn't seem like there's much more he can do to top the other liberals in the race, particularly Joe Parisi. Furthermore, if he lags any of the other candidates in cash then it is likely an indication that the name recognition from his days in the legislature has waned too much for him to compete against current officeholders.
Zach Brandon: If Brandon's strategy of appealing to conservatives with the backing of Jim Doyle works, then he should have a formidable war chest to make up for his limited name-recognition. Ideally he will have tapped into the Doyle network and the Madison business community, with whom he likely has warm relations from his time in the Commerce Department and his business-friendly rhetoric.
Bruskewitz: She better hope Brandon hasn't taken off with the conservative contributor base. If he has then she's hopeless. As I've discussed before, with the new GOP majorities in town, there are plenty of conservatives who would like to partake in rubbing salt in the wounds of liberals by taking over the most liberal county in the state. However, I'm guessing they likely won't get engaged until after the primary (if Bruskewitz makes it through).
Scott McDonell: Similar to Brandon, money is the way for McDonell to make up for weak name recognition. However, for him the money comes through a close-knit group of Madison progressives as well as through the channels of his friends on the Dane County Board.
Joe Parisi: I fully expect the state rep to report strong fundraising numbers, however, if he doesn't, all hope is not lost. With his recent campaigns for Assembly and his past tenure as count board clerk, Parisi may be able to get through the primary on name recognition alone.
