Longtime Rep. Melvin Watt, D-N.C., reported raising just $10 in the third quarter — the smallest haul of any incumbent in recent memory. In an interview with CQ Roll Call, Watt chalked up his low total to the fact that he halted his fundraising operation during a prolonged Senate confirmation process for a role at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. President Barack Obama nominated the 11-term Democrat to head the agency in May. "Actually once I found out I was going to be nominated for this position from the president, and once I was nominated, I thought I had shut down my entire operation," Watt said in a phone interview with CQ Roll Call. "So I'm surprised I have $10 in this quarter. Somebody didn’t get the message I guess." (more…)
