Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-Lackawanna) opened up 2020 with the strongest quarter of any congressional candidate in the state and more than double of any challenger in the race for the 8th Congressional District. 

Cartwright’s campaign raised slightly under $750,000 from the beginning of January to the end of March, while spending just over $150,000 during this time period. His first quarter haul is more than double of what he raised in the previous quarter when his campaign brought in $325,000 in the last three months of 2019. 

The fourth term Democrat has now raised $1.96 million in the election cycle-to-date and entered April with $1.87 million cash on hand.

The six Republicans vying to face Cartwright also significantly trail the incumbent, although three of the candidates did surpass the six-digit threshold in fundraising in the first three months of 2020. 

Former Hazleton Mayor Mike Marsicano boasted the strongest numbers of any GOP candidate seeking the seat in the first quarter due to a loan he provided to his campaign. 

Marsicano loaned his campaign just over $350,000 from the beginning of January to the end of March, while his campaign spent just over $75,000 during that time period. This is the first campaign finance report he filed since entering the race for the 8th Congressional District. He entered April with just over $275,000 cash on hand, which is also the most of any Republican in the race, but significantly behind Cartwright. 

The next closest Republican in the fundraising race is former Trump administration appointee, Jim Bognet. 

Bognet raised just over $275,000 from the beginning of January to the end of March, while his campaign spent slightly over $30,000 during that time period. This is also the first campaign finance report he filed since entering the race for the Northeast PA district. He entered April with just over $240,000 cash on hand, which is the second highest of the GOP candidates. 

The only other Republican in the race that raised over $100,000 in the first quarter is Earl Granville, a decorated war veteran and Veterans’ advocate who has been endorsed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). 

Granville’s campaign raised just over $110,000 from the beginning of January to the end of March, while spending slightly over $40,000 during that time period. While the $110,000 keeps Granville as the third highest fundraising GOP candidate for the seat, $30,000 of it was from a loan he gave to his campaign. His first quarter haul is the first full filing period as a candidate in the race, although he did raise $6,000 in the previous quarter from when he formally entered the race in mid December to the end of the filing period at the end of December. 

Granville’s campaign has now raised just under $120,000 in the election cycle-to-date, and entered April with just under $75,000 cash on hand, which is the third highest of the GOP candidates. 

Teddy Daniels, a former police officer and wounded combat Army veteran who was the first Republican to formally launch a bid for the seat in August, raised just under $35,000 from the beginning of January to the end of March, while spending just over $75,000 during that time period. Daniels’ first quarter haul is a significant drop off from the previous quarter when he raised just under $100,000 in the last three months of 2019, although $35,000 of it was from a loan he gave to his campaign. 

Daniels has now raised just over $150,000 in the election cycle-to-date, with $35,000 of it being from a loan he gave to his campaign. He entered April with just over $20,000 cash on hand, which is the fourth highest of the GOP candidates. 

Mike Cammisa, another GOP hopeful for the seat, raised slightly over $10,000 from the beginning of January to the end of March, while spending $5,000 during that time period. This is the first campaign finance report he filed since entering the race. He entered April with $5,221.68 cash on hand, which is $9 less than Luzerne County Councilman Harry Haas. 

Haas raised slightly over $2,000 from the beginning of January to the end of March, while spending $5,000 during that time period. His first quarter trails the amount he brought in during the final filing period of 2019 when he raised $10,000 in the last three months of the year. Haas entered April with $5,230.97 cash on hand. 

Cartwright won by close to 10 points in his previous bid over a self funding GOP businessman, John Chrin, who loaned his campaign over $1M during the 2018 campaign. Cartwright’s campaign raised $2.4M in the previous election cycle, with $1M of that coming from various joint fundraising committees.

The Cook Political Report currently has the seat held by Cartwright as “Toss Up” for 2020.

Cartwright is one of three Pennsylvania Democrats being targeted by the NRCC’s initial 2020 list, along with Reps. Conor Lamb (D-Allegheny) and Susan Wild (D-Lehigh).