Roll Call: Reports Offer First 2012 Glimpse-Year-End Fundraising Doesn’t Bode Well for Potential Retirees Webb, Akaka

…others on retirement watch, including Sens. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and Jim Webb (D-Va.), offered no indication they will run again in 2012.

Akaka, 86, raised less than $2,000 in the fourth quarter and had just $66,000 in the bank as of Dec. 31, though he had similar numbers to start his 2006 re-election campaign. Webb raised about $13,000, leaving Democrats hoping that at best he has yet to make up his mind. Kyl’s year-end report was not publicly available at press time, keeping speculation about his potential retirement on the front burner….

But it is just the beginning of a 22-month campaign that will be molded by external factors such as the economy and the downballot effect of the presidential election and by internal factors such as retirements, recruitment, primaries and fundraising.

If Akaka runs, he could face former Gov. Linda Lingle (R), whose past fundraising abilities and election success would make it a tough race in Democratic-leaning Hawaii….

Republicans like their odds heading into 2012, with Democrats defending 23 seats compared with the GOP’s 10. And early recruiting successes in competitive states have further boosted GOP optimism.

“Strong Republican candidates are already stepping forward in key races around the country, and Democrats in competitive states are quickly finding themselves on the defensive for their reckless spending record of the last four years,” National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Brian Walsh said. “We still have a long way to go until Election Day though, and no one on our side is taking anything for granted. But clearly Republican momentum from November 2010 has carried over into the 2012 cycle and we are focused on winning back a Senate Republican majority next year.”

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