Size of Hoyer's war chest not overkill but insurance, finance experts suggest

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009

Hoyer raised $668,462 during the second quarter of 2009, bringing his total for the year to just over $1.26 million, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission.

To campaign finance experts, it's not overkill. It's par for the course. "Despite the fact that they [incumbents] seem incredibly secure to us, they generally do not feel that way," said John Samples, director of the Center for Representative Government at the Cato Institute, a public policy think tank.

Even with no serious challenger in sight, incumbents tend to "run scared" in order to ensure against any threats that may emerge. Any drop in fundraising totals or margin of victory could be seen as signs of weakness by potential challengers.

The only potential challenger to file with the FEC is Charles Lollar, a Republican from Charles County. Democrat Thomas Defibaugh Sr. of Glen Burnie, has declared his candidacy with the State Board of Elections but has yet to file with the FEC. Lollar has not officially announced his candidacy and has yet to launch a major fundraising push, said a spokeswoman.

Collins Bailey, a Republican who ran against Hoyer in 2008, said that the money isn't as important as the message. Bailey won almost 25 percent of the vote last year, despite raising only $26,870 to Hoyer's $3.6 million. To the contrary, Bailey sees Hoyer's long history as a well-funded, perennial politician as a disadvantage for the incumbent because he senses a possible voter backlash against Washington in 2010. "I believe in a citizen Congress," Bailey said. "Go up there to do the people's business and come on home."

Bailey said he plans on challenging Hoyer again in 2010, and he thinks his limited-government message will resonate with disaffected voters.