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Q2 Fundraising: Winners & Losers

bill_shuster
Bill Shuster – again

The numbers are in! Here’s how the incumbents and challengers running for Congress fared this quarter.

The Federal Elections Commissions campaign finance reports cover April, May and June. They were due on July 15.

The number of candidates who filed grew since last quarter due to Democratic primaries for seats in southeast Pa. A full spreadsheet is below.

It feels a little odd not to have Allyson Schwartz on this list for the first time since we started doing them. Unfortunately gubernatorial campaign finance reports won’t be available until January.

Winners

Bill Shuster (R-Blair, PA-9). The new Chairman of the House Transportation committee continued his fast fundraising pace, raking in $652K and banking $921K on hand. Don’t expect it to slow down. He spent tens of thousands of dollars on top fundraising pros this quarter which will yield results in the next report. He also gave $160K to the NRCC

Daylin Leach (D-Montco, PA-13). It was put up or shut up time in the crowded Democratic primary to replace Rep. Allyson Schwartz. State Sen. Leach proved he belongs in the race with the strongest showing of the four candidates. He brought in $358K and retains $277K on hand. A wide footprint of individual donors shows he can take his progressive support to the bank.

Pat Meehan (R-Delaware, PA-7). Rep. Meehan continues to boast the biggest bank account of any member of Congress in Pa., with $1.36 million on hand. That includes $402K he added this quarter. Nothing says ‘don’t even think about it’ to potential Democratic opponents like a healthy bankroll.

Kevin Strouse (D-Bucks, PA-8). A good resume is nice, but serious national donors use fundraising reports to gauge how competitive a candidate really is. The Democratic challenger and DC recruit proved his mettle with a solid $254K showing. He has $218K on hand. That will open doors as Dems look for potential gains in the House.

Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks, PA-8). The man Strouse wants to replace had a very strong quarter too. He raised $502K and has $681K on hand – and he doesn’t have a primary opponent to contend with. Fitzpatrick has term-limited himself, but if Dems expected him to try and coast through his final campaign it looks like they will be mistaken.

Charlie Dent (R-Lehigh, PA-15). After a lackluster first quarter, Dent brought in $372K. Not bad for someone who doesn’t face even the whisper of a primary or general election opponent. He has $434K on hand.

Losers

Marjorie Margolies (D-Montco, PA-13). One would expect a former Congresswoman, married to a former Congressman, whose daughter in-law is a Clinton, to have a pretty competitive fundraising network. But Margolies came in last place in the 4-way Dem fundraising battle with $185K raised and $160K on hand. Luckily for her, she’s got a significant head start on name ID and if her fundraising catches up she’ll be little worse for the wear. Don’t buy the argument that the Clintons snubbed her – it’s too early to draw that conclusion.

Scott Perry (R-York, PA-4). He could be on a trajectory to House leadership. But to get there he’ll need a solid fundraising operation that he can tap to build alliances in Congress. He won’t get there with $33K per quarter, or with $27K on hand.

Shaughnessy Naughton (D-Bucks, PA-8). For a first time candidate in an abbreviated first fundraising quarter, having $89K on hand is respectable. But she’s not running in just any seat. She faces a well-funded primary opponent in Strouse, and the winner of their contest will go on to face an even better-funded incumbent in Fitzpatrick. Her showing won’t keep donors on the fence and out of Strouse’s camp.

Erin McClelland (D-Allegheny, PA-12). She’s in the unfortunate position of competing for resources against someone who’s not even in the race. But until former Congressman Mark Critz makes it clear whether he’ll run a rematch against Rep. Keith Rothfus, a lot of Dem donors will remain on ice. That, plus McClelland’s first-time candidate status, contributed to a meager $41K quarter.

Here’s the full spreadsheet:

6 Responses

  1. Lois, as much as we might not like it, the fact is that it doesn’t matter what your message is if you can’t afford to get it out to the people, so money is going to matter for the foreseeable future.

  2. Remember the fundraising quarter where gasbag Mike Kelly didnt raise any money and actually reported a net loss- That was classic! And who ever said Scott Perry had leadership potential? The only potential Scott Perry has is reporting a net loss next fundraising quarter

  3. Daylin Leach is a hard worker and up to the task. Bright, funny and progressive.

  4. Total Ave/Wk in PA 13:Margolies – 46k; arkoosh – 37; leach – 30; boyle – 21

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