Lenett to 19: Who's Your Daddy?

Senator Mike Lenett (D-19) has posted a gaudy $205,787.65 balance on his new campaign finance filing. But there's a catch: $200,000 of that sum came from a loan from Lenett to himself.

Lenett reported $17,403.22 in contributions from others, $200,000 in a loan to himself and expenses of $22,161.86. The largest part of those expenses was accounted for by $19,577.56 in printing and campaign materials supplied by David Goodman's TruBlu Politics. So without the loan, Lenett would have posted a net loss of $4,758.64. Rumored potential rival Delegate Roger Manno raised $40,793 - all from others - spent $2,221.57, and finished with $87,045.46. That's a respectable sum for a sitting Delegate.

So here is what Manno has to consider if he challenges Lenett. Does that $200,000 represent the sum total of Lenett's self-financing ability? If it does, Manno could be financially competitive, though there will be many other factors determining the outcome of such a race. But what if Lenett has even more money? If he does, does it matter? What is the point of diminishing marginal returns for dollars spent on a Senate race?

Lordy folks, District 19 could use its own political blog.