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Q1 2013 Fundraising: Winners & Losers

bill_shuster
Rep. Bill Shuster

The numbers are in! Here are the Pennsylvania members of Congress had a good start to the 2014 cycle, and who didn’t.

The Federal Elections Commissions reports cover January, February and March. They were due on April 15.

The list of filers is the shortest of the cycle as many challengers have yet to emerge. Several more declared their candidacies after the March 31 cut-off, so they’ll submit reports next cycle.

Winners

Bill Shuster (R-Blair, PA-9). The newly minted chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee got some serious mileage out of his new gavel. He raised a whopping $495K in Q1 and has $612K on hand. For comparison, he raised $81K in Q1 of 2011. He’ll be in strong shape against a primary challenger, let alone in a general election. He’ll also be able to expand his role as a kingmaker in the Pa. delegation.

Allyson Schwartz (D-Montco, PA-13). The Congresswoman had another strong quarter, pulling in $416K. Most of her efforts – and her dollars – were transferred to her fledgling gubernatorial campaign. She shifter $3 million to her Guv run, leaving her with $415K on hand in her congressional account (for now).

Valerie Arkoosh (D-Montco, PA-13). The first official candidate to succeed Schwartz took a gamble: she filed her candidacy in March, before the cutoff. The risk: a weak quarter would make the physician, activist and first-time candidate look like a lightweight. The reward: a strong showing in this report would establish her as a contender. Having raised $218K in just 3 weeks, she made a good gamble. She has $214K on hand.

Jim Gerlach (R-Chester, PA-6). He’s probably off the list of perennial Democratic targets at this point. But just for good measure, he raised $294K in Q1 bringing him to $477K on hand. If he was on the target list before, he took a big step away from it this quarter.

Pat Meehan (R-Delaware, PA-7). Meehan had a standard quarter for him, raising $207K. The reason he makes the winners list is his cash on hand: $1.06 million. Now that Schwartz is running for Guv, he is the only member of Congress from Pa. with over a million in the bank.

On Pace. Some members didn’t stand out, but at least started 2013 on track with where they need to be in anticipation of a serious challenge in 2014.

Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Bucks, PA-8). He’s the top target for Democrats in Pa., period. He raised $302K this quarter and has $275K on hand. That’s not enough to deter a challenger, but if he keeps this pace it will probably be enough to beat one.

Keith Rothfus (R-Allegheny, PA-12). He had a solid first quarter as a congressman with $263K raised and $219K on hand. But if Dems can recruit a top tier challenger against him – say, Mark Critz – that amount won’t impact their decision.

Tim Murphy (R-Allegheny, PA-18). He burned off a lot of his COH last cycle fighting a primary and a general election challenge – both of which proved far more threatening on paper than in the voting booth. He brought in $318K and has $348K on hand, enough to inoculate him against another two election cycle.

Losers

Charlie Dent (R-Lehigh, PA-15). Yes, his district is far safer for Republicans now than it was before – by 4 points according to the Cook Political Report (it was D+2, it’s now R+2). But $32,935 raised? Really? That’s low enough to win him a second look by national Democrats for sure. And the relatively moderate Dent also needs to keep his eyes open for a primary challenge. $136K on hand won’t scare many people away.

Bob Brady (D-Phila, PA-1). He wasn’t even trying. He pulled in $1,500 this quarter, next to nothing for an entrenched incumbent like Brady (who also chairs the Philadelphia Democratic committee). He could have sent a simple form letter to PACs and big donors and easily raised more. That’s money that could play in Philly elections.

Tom Marino (R-Lycoming, PA-10). He established with a wide 2012 win that he’s not going anywhere – in a general election. But he’s ripe for a primary challenger – a potential one has already surfaced. The $108K he raised in Q1, and $102K he has on hand, isn’t enough to deter a challenge.

Here’s the full list:

One Response

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