Smith to make "substantial" contribution to Senate campaign this week

U.S. Senate candidate Tom Smith is readying his checkbook to gift his campaign another “substantial” infusion of cash before the quarter ends on June 30.

Smith, who invested about $5 million of his own wealth to win the GOP Senate primary – beating a crowded field of hopefuls including one with the official endorsement from the state party establishment – is willing, and able, to spend the money it will require to run against well-known incumbent Democrat Bob Casey.

“We continue to have great fundraising success and Tom is prepared to make another substantial contribution to the campaign this quarter,” Jim Conroy, Smith’s campaign manager’s told The Morning Call Tuesday.

Conroy would not say how much money Smith plans to drop this week to close out the second quarter of the year. Smith had previously told the DC-based publication Roll Call that he expected the race to cost $20 million, but did not say how much of that would be self funded.

So far the big outside groups that can kneecap elections aren’t paying much attention to Smith’s race, but all that could change if they thought he had a chance to make inroads against Casey.

While political fortune tellers have predicted a win for Casey in November, the first-term U.S. senator isn’t taking anything for granted. In a fundraising letter sent to supporters last week, Casey warned that Smith has one formidable strengthen: “his own pocketbook.”

In the same letter, Casey wrote there were reasons to be optimistic about his re-election chances in November, but also cause for “real concern.”

“The good news is that all recent public polls have us up; some by just 7 percent, others as much as 20 percent. The not so good news is that all those polls have me at less than 50 percent – a real warning signal for incumbent candidates,” Casey wrote.

While admission of vulnerability is often a ploy by politicians to convince donors there’s imminent need for their contributions, Conroy said the Smith campaign sees it as Casey acknowledging real weakness this cycle.

“Bob Casey is running scared for good reason,” Conroy said. “With dismal poll numbers for

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