Nodler Estimates $100 K Haul in 30 Days

State Senator Gary Nodler tells The Notebook he'll report raising about $100,000 during the first month of his 7th District Congressional campaign.

The second campaign fundraising quarter ends Tuesday night. Reports are due mid-July. But Nodler said he's proud of his money haul, considering "we actually didn't even have a month" to tap donors. Nodler announced his Congressional bid on May 28th. Full quarter reports are based on 3-month increments of fundraising.

"Since we started we haven't had one fundraising event, not one dinner or one house party," Nodler said in an interview with The Notebook Tuesday night. "We'll report somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000, and we're very pleased. I think some people are too focused on the quarter by quarter reporting, like a sprint, but it's a marathon. You've got to have sustainability," Nodler explained.

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OTHER CAMPAIGN Q & A with NODLER:

ON HIS TEAM: Says Gregg Keller will serve as "general consultant." "He'll be the main point of contact, and we've got a couple of volunteers," Nodler said. Asked about Keller's commitment to a U.S. Senate race in Connecticut, Nodler pointed out that none of the other candidates have consultants who won't be dedicated to other races as well. "Gregg is in touch with me multiple times a day. He'll be in Missouri more than he's in Connecticut. He's handling the Connecticut race, but all of these consultants will be handling multiple races. This race is a top two priority for Keller," Nodler said.

ON THE FIELD: "I wouldn't write anybody off. It's an unpredictable year. The public mood is fluid. There's really no way to sit here in 2009 and get a real accurate account of the climate in 2010. The filing deadline isn't even close. It's too early for anyone to be dismissive. I can recall when everybody wrote off John McCain when his campaign went bankrupt in the summer. I'm not about to dismiss any candidates."

ON HIS OWN LIKABILITY: Asked about how he'll handle the perception that he has more enemies than Senate colleague Jack Goodman, Nolder responded, "I've got a lot more people that like me than Jack does too. It goes both ways." "I'm not too polarizing . . . People want to elect legislators to Congress. If the objective is to find a neutral or unremarkable person, or someone who doesn't have as much substance, that's probably not me," he said.