Late entering the game, Del. Bob Marshall finds himself at a significant fundraising disadvantage in his bid to upset the Republican frontrunner in the Virginia Senate race.
The Manassas lawmaker has just $12,026 on hand, largely thanks to the $10,000 he personally loaned his campaign, according to figures released by the candidate Monday. In the first three months of his campaign, Marshall brought in $22,626.
Marshall said he was focused on getting enough signatures to make the June primary ballot, and has since shifted gears to raise money. He also chose not to fundraise aggressively while the General Assembly was in session, although state law does not require that.
“I could have raised record numbers of dollars and ended up like federal presidential candidates, who failed to do first things first, namely get enough signatures to make the ballot cut off,” Marshall said, referencing the Republican presidential candidates who failed to qualify for Virginia’s ballot.
Former Gov. George Allen, far and away the favorite in the race, raised $1.4 million in first quarter of 2012 and has $2.66 million on hand.
