Staffing up, Cohen says fundraising haul will surprise

PHILADELPHIA—As he lays the groundwork for what he acknowledges is a financial “David and Goliath” campaign, Republican congressional candidate Howard Cohen says he’s exceeded his early fundraising goal and is confident that the money will continue to roll in over the coming months.

Cohen, one of several candidates seeking the GOP nod in the 6th District, wouldn’t be specific about how much he’s raised since entering the race in mid-November. But he reiterated that it would be enough to be competitive. Fourth quarter numbers won’t be published until the end of the month.

“We had an ambitious plan, and we exceeded it,” Cohen said over lunch here Wednesday. “The FEC report, I think, will surprise a few people.”

Meanwhile, Cohen said he was building a “citizen-based” campaign. Terry Tracy, a student at Penn’s Fels Institute of Government, has been tapped to run the campaign. It’s his first gig managing a race, “which means he doesn’t have any bad habits,” Cohen joked. Two consulting firms, Jamestown Associates and Arena Strategies, are handling research, strategy and general media work. Cohen said he’s still looking for a finance director.

January 6, 2010 at 2:16 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Howard Cohen, PA-6