How much are the Iowa Caucuses worth? (Part 2)

With so much at stake in the Iowa Caucus, campaign contributors in the state are digging deep to help their favorite candidates. Let’s check out the numbers:

• The total raised so far in Iowa by all candidates is $873,141.
• Despite a recent suggesting that Mike Huckabee (R) is a favorite of Iowans, his fundraising in the state has lagged – he has raised only about $19,500.
• The fundraising frontrunners are Mitt Romney (R), with $143,900, and Hillary Clinton (D), with $123,038.
• Fundraising by party has been about equal. Democrats have garnered about 52% of all campaign donations in the state.

The most interesting bit of information here is the disparity between Mike Huckabee’s strong performance in last week’s Des Moines Register Poll and his weak fundraising within Iowa. At first glance, one might expect his strong poll numbers to be reflected in his fundraising. But campaign finance disclosure is never as current as the latest polling data, so when updated financial information is available we may find that Huckabee has experienced a surge in Iowa fundraising lately.

There are also several problems with the poll itself that may have caused Huckabee’s support to be over-reported. But public opinion surveys are a topic for another day…