Washington – It’s a good thing for Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., that he does not have to run for re-election this year because he barely has the money to do so.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, only six U.S. Senators had less money in their campaign accounts than Murphy on June 30, the end of the last Federal Elections Commission reporting period . Murphy reported having $151,979.
Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent, held the top slot of those in the Senate with the least amount of campaign cash. He reported less than $65,000 in cash on hand.
But like Murphy, King does not have to run for re-election until 2018. That will give both New England lawmakers plenty of time to raise campaign cash to be able to meet today’s political realities. Today a Senate race can cost millions of dollars — as Murphy’s former opponent, Linda McMahon proved when she spent more than $50 million on each of her two unsuccessful campaigns.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has less time to raise money. He runs for re-election in 2016 and is 18th from the bottom in the 100-member Senate as far as cash on hand. Blumenthal reported $530,987.
Meanwhile, the senator with the fullest campaign war chest is Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who had $17 million in cash.