One quarter in, with the election just over a month away.

State Rep. Fred Keller (R-Snyder) and Democratic candidate Marc Friedenberg, a professor at Penn State University, were selected as their party’s nominees for the upcoming special election during the past 2 months, but have submitted campaign finance reports for this brief period.

Keller’s campaign raised $175,000, doubling his Democratic counterpart, in the April filing period that ended on March 31. Friedenberg’s campaign brought in just under $85,000.

Cash on hand between the candidates is much closer as we approach the final weeks of the campaign.

Keller’s campaign holds just under $165,000 entering April, while Friedenberg’s campaign brings in just shy of $150,000 into the month.

Friedenberg ended 2018 with just over $65,000 cash on hand, after his unsuccessful bid against incumbent Rep. Tom Marino (R-Lycoming).

The configuration of the GOP friendly district 12th Congressional District voted for President Donald Trump by over 35 points in 2016, while Marino won his most recent bid in 2018 by 32 points.

The special election date is set for May 21, the same day as the Pennsylvania primary.