UPDATE: Kurtis Lee tweets that Miklosi does, in fact, have $518k in the bank. His campaign apparently screwed up the FEC report and have amended their filing, though that amendment has yet to post on the FEC website.
.@JoeMiklosi4CD6 has $518,445 in the bank. Campaign says it made an amendment to the FEC report. #COPolitics
— Kurtis Lee (@kurtisalee) July 16, 2012
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The only thing worse than having The Denver Post report your opponent raised more cash in the last quarter than you have in the bank is finding out your campaign doesn't even have that much on hand.
Last week, Denver State Rep. Joe Miklosi's Congressional campaign told Denver Post reporter Kurtis Lee it had $518,000 on hand. It didn't. According to the Miklosi campaign FEC filing, it has slightly less than $453,000 cash on hand. For those counting at home, that's a $65,000 fib, or exactly half of what Miklosi raised the first quarter he was in the race.
We wonder how long it will take Miklosi's campaign to apologize to Lee for causing him to report false numbers.
Lesson to campaigns: lying to reporters about something they can easily find out in a few days is not smart politics.
This is yet another campaign staff mistake in a campaign that has begun to become defined by it.
Let's briefly review:
- Miklosi stiffed his first campaign finance director of full pay, causing her to file a back pay complaint with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. The staffer just so happened to be the daughter of his Capitol colleague, Sen. Betty Boyd (D-Lakewood).
- Miklosi's new campaign manager has tweeted out attacks against staffers suing for back pay.
- Miklosi's general consultant, Steve Welchert, advised a company seeking business for school district bonds to offer a free poll to the district in exchange for "stealing" $90 million in taxpayer funds should the bond measure pass.
- Miklosi bragged that he didn't even know the names of some of his staff, as Washington, DC-based political groups had been paying for them.
For a race that's supposed to be competitive, based on raw registration numbers, Miklosi's campaign is sure trying their hardest to make it not be.
(Photo Credt: Miklosi campaign FB page)