By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA
roarty@politicspa.com
GOP congressional candidate Dave Argall faces a massive cash disadvantage against Democratic incumbent Tim Holden after reporting $30,000 on hand to close the second quarter fundraising quarter, his campaign said Wednesday.
Argall, who had raised $140,000 by the end of April, has received about $60,000 in contributions since then, according to Campaign Manager Jon Hopcraft. Between $30,000 and $40,000 of those donations came after the May 18 primary, he said.
The numbers pale in comparison to Holden’s, who reported nearly $900,000 on hand to end the second quarter. The Democrat raised $210,000 since the end of April.
In a brief interview, Argall called his race a “David vs. Goliath” matchup while emphasizing that incumbents are always difficult to defeat.
“But I always like to remind people that David won,” he said.
The disappointing report comes on the heels of a tougher-than-expected primary for the state senator, whose 32 percent vote share was just one-percentage point more than his closest opponent in the four-man race.
The state lawmaker had been considered the GOP’s top potential recruit in the race against Holden because of his deep ties in Schuylkill County, which he had represented in Harrisburg as either a senator or representative for more than 25 years. Holden had survived as a Democrat in the right-leaning 17th Congressional District, located in central Pennsylvania, in part because of the strong support he received from the otherwise conservative county.
Holden, who is also a part of the conservative “Blue Dog” Democratic coalition, was a former sheriff there and typically enjoys the support of many local Republican officials despite his party affiliation.
Argall has raised about $210,000 since declaring his candidacy in January.
* Correction: An earlier version of this story said the Argall campaign had received $70,000 in contributions since the pre-primary report. That was incorrect. He had received $60,000 — $70,000 is the amount he has received in the entire second fundraising quarter.
