With all the unanswered questions surrounding the budget and future political races, Scott MacKay today updates what's happening with Senator Jack Reed, the closest thing to a sure bet in Rhode Island politics.
Thirteen months before the 2008 U.S. Senate election, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jack Reed is sitting on a campaign chest of about $2.7 million and still has no Republican opponent in sight.
According to campaign finance reports made public at yesterday’s reporting deadline, Reed has $2,771,898 in campaign money and is continuing to raise more, said Chip Unruh, the senator’s spokesman.
Reed has said he intends to be a candidate for a third term next year and is counted as one of the Democratic Party’s surest bets for reelection.
“He’s got nearly $3 million in the bank and no opponent,” said Jennifer Duffy, who follows Senate races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “Life is good.”
While Republicans are defending 22 Senate seats in the 2008 election cycle, Democrats have just 12 up for grabs. Along with such Senate veterans as Joe Biden of Delaware and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, Reed appears to have a safe road to reelection, Duffy said.
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Republicans do not have a candidate, but Giovanni Ciccione, state GOP chairman, said yesterday that, “I’m confident that we will have candidates for all federal offices at the appropriate time.”
Republican Jonathan Scott, of Providence, who was swamped in a race for U.S. House last year by 1st District Rep. Patrick Kennedy, has said he may challenge Reed.
The filing deadline for state and federal offices is in June 2008. Ciccione acknowledged that Reed will be a formidable candidate.