Katz out, Fumo in, and your fundraising totals

    There’s an old story of a powerful Philadelphia politician with a notorious reputation who paid a call on a young man who was planning to run for office.

    “I like ya kid,” the veteran pol says. “I’ll be for you or against you, whichever you think will help.”

    I thought of that yesterday when I saw the Daily News’ Will Bender’s piece about whom former state Sen. Vince Fumo will not support in the mayor’s race. Fumo, who was convicted of a long list of corruption charges in 2009, said he’s against giving electricians union leader John Dougherty any more power, which means opposing former City Councilman Jim Kenney.

    One thing Kenney and Dougherty have in common is that years ago they were close allies of Fumo. So is he trying to help Kenney or hurt?

    Katz lets it goI have to say I was pleased that three-time Republican mayoral candidate Sam Katz has decided he won’t try an independent run for mayor this fall. I don’t see how he could win, and it would be a brutal campaign, hard on him and hard on his family, whom I know and have affection for.

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    Katz told me last night that a week ago he’d decided that he would run, and began putting together a team – fundraisers, strategists, and so on. Then he took a walk and realized something didn’t feel right. He’d always wanted this thing, but now it felt like he was doing it because he’d always wanted it, not because he really did want it in the same way. By the end of the weekend, he’d decided to let it go.

    “In terms of professional choices,” he said, “this may be the first mature one I’ve ever made.”

    OK, your numbers

    I should have had this for you Monday, but here’s a chart summarizing the 2015 fundraising and spending of the three super PACs and six candidates in the Democratic mayoral primary. Note that the fundraising totals are only for 2015, through May 4 — some candidates and committees did some fundraising last year, but this is most of it.

    Candidate or committee Raised in 2015 Spent in 2015 On Hand May 4th
    American Cities $6,830,000 $5,411,140 $1,478,746
    Building Better Pa $1,488,355 $1,468,717 $22,523
    Forward Phila $783,100 $698,446 $84,653
    Super PAC totals $9,101,455 $7,578,303 $1,585,922
    Williams, Anthony $1,343,255 $1,142,361 $623,282
    Kenney, Jim $1,307,094 $1,073,631 $310,015
    Abraham, Lynne $1,033,714 $915,569 $313,869
    Diaz, Nelson $394,093 $346,542 $135,376
    Oliver, Doug $39,193 $31,038 $18,905
    Street, Milton $0 $2,232 $180
    Candidate totals $4,117,349 $3,509,141 $1,401,447

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