Palin's Paltry Fundraising

I'm not going to sugarcoat it.

It seems unreal, but the Iowa caucuses could be held as early as December, depending on whether other early primary states try to leapfrog the Buckeyes. That would give Sarah Palin roughly five months to raise the $100 million that's long been considered the "entry fee" for competitiveness in the early contests. But according to reports out today, Palin's fundraising's lagging. At Wapo, "Sarah Palin’s PAC raises just over $1.6 million."

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin raised just over $1.6 million in the first half of 2011 through her political action committee, SarahPAC, an amount that suggests she has not ramped up her fundraising for a presidential campaign.

Palin has also spent about $1.5 million so far this year, mostly on political consultants, travel and direct mail, ending up with $1.4 million on hand.

Because she is not a candidate, Palin can file disclosure forms bi-annually rather than quarterly. PAC contribution limits also are twice as high as candidate contribution limits — $5,000 instead of $2,500.

The money was raised for her political action committee, so it could not be used in the 2012 presidential race should Palin run. It’s more a measure of supporter enthusiasm and political clout.

So does $1.6 million say anything about her political ambitions or viability? Not really.

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Palin's not officially declared, but time's a-wastin'. See also The Hill, "Palin PAC raises $1.6M in first half of year" (via Memeorandum). And check the spin at C4P, "Sarah PAC Raises over 1.6 Million in First Half of 2011."

RELATED: The news out yesterday was how far Republicans are trailing President Obama in the money race: