Last year’s third quarter fundraising figures for 7th Congressional District Republican candidate Pat Meehan closely matched refunds disbursed from his defunct gubernatorial campaign coffers, according to a comparison of state and federal financial disclosures.

Meehan, a former Delaware County district attorney and former U.S. attorney, touted his fundraising prowess last October and “the tremendous groundswell of support” he saw in raising more than $200,000 in the final 16 days of the third-quarter fundraising period that ended Sept. 30.

Democratic candidate and state Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-161, of Swarthmore, was quick to point out then that his own fundraising skills, at about $250,000 for the quarter, were nothing to sneeze at.

But Meehan spokesman Pete Peterson noted Lentz had more than a one-month head start because his committee filed with the Federal Election Commission Aug. 10 and Meehan didn’t file until Sept. 14.

It appears Meehan, of Drexel Hill, Upper Darby, was the one with the head start. He originally set his sights on a gubernatorial run and formed an exploratory committee in February 2009 that received more than $800,000 in donations.

But Meehan decided instead to run for the congressional seat when it became clear U.S. Rep. Joseph Sestak, D-7, of Edgmont, would challenge U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa. in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary election.

Peterson said at the time of the third-quarter filing that none of Meehan’s congressional fundraising money came directly from his state PAC.

Which is technically true: Meehan refunded some $231,445 to his state race donors, many of whom simply turned around and donated the refunded amount to Meehan’s congressional campaign, often on the same day.

But a side-by-side analysis of Meehan’s gubernatorial campaign finance data with federal congressional campaign filings shows $178,000 of the nearly $211,000 Meehan raised in the third quarter directly matches refunds to original donors.

Read the full DelCo Times article here

Tags: Bryan Lentz, Bryan Lentz for congress, Pat Meehan, Pat Meehan for Congress

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