Hassan, Ayotte each raise $2 million for Senate battle
New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan and Republican Sen. Kelly Ayottee each raised more than $2 million for one of the nation’s toughest Senate races.
Hassan’s campaign’s confirmed the strong haul to The Hill Monday, while WMUR in Manchester reported Ayotte’s fundraising.
Finishing her first fundraising quarter since she announced her candidacy in October, Hassan has far less of cash on hand — more than $1.5 million in the bank compared to Ayotte’s $6 million reported by WMUR.
{mosads}“I’m honored by the strong grassroots support from every corner of New Hampshire as we fight to ensure that Washington does better for all of New Hampshire’s families and small businesses,” Hassan said in a statement.
Ayotte’s campaign has not publicly released its fundraising totals and did not comment on the WMUR report.
The New Hampshire Senate race is expected to be one of the closest in the nation. A December poll from the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling found the pair tied, while an October poll from WMUR in Manchester showed Ayotte with a 2-point lead.
Ahead of the tight race, even the analysis from the party organizations turned partisan.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee panned Hassan’s results as “embarrassing,” noting the vast difference in cash on hand between the two candidates, and adding that the numbers “indicate that voters are rejecting her record of gridlock as New Hampshire’s governor.”
In response, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee pushed back on its rival’s characterization of what it notes is a “record-breaking fundraising quarter.” Hassan’s campaign noted in a press release that her haul is the highest off-year fundraising quarter for a Senate candidate.
“No one is more panicked about this than the NRSC who should consider spending a little less time spinning and a little more time coming up with a plan to deal with how vulnerable Kelly Ayotte is,” DSCC communications director Sadie Weiner said in a statement.
The $2 million quarterly haul by each candidate is similar to that of other candidates embarking on their own tough races last fundraising quarter, including former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Penn.).
Some New Hampshire Republicans have floated backing a conservative primary challenge against Ayotte, which could force her to spend some of her war chest to make it through the primary. But so far, no candidate has materialized.
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