Democrat outraises Republican ahead of PA House special election
Democrat Conor Lamb far outpaced Republican Rick Saccone in fundraising during the final quarter of 2017, just months before the two square off in a closely watched House special election in Pennsylvania.
Lamb raised about $560,000 during the final three months of 2017, spending $148,295. Lamb began 2018 with about $412,000 in his campaign account.
Saccone, his Republican rival and a current state lawmaker, raised $214,675 over that same period, spending only $14,700. His campaign has about $200,000 on hand for the race.
Lamb’s vast fundraising advantage is a welcome sign for Democrats, who are hoping to make an aggressive push into the deep-red district.
President Trump won the district, vacated by Rep. Tim Murphy’s (R-Pa.) resignation, by 20 points in 2016, and the district has a history of voting for Republicans at every level. But Democrats believe that Lamb, a former district attorney, has the kind of profile that can help the party contend in the district nonetheless.
Saccone’s meager fundraising has been a source of concern for some Republicans, but he’ll have a significant amount of outside help for his bid.
Top GOP groups are flooding the district with cash to boost Saccade’s campaign — the Congressional Leadership Fund has already planned a $1.5 million television buy, with the 45Committee and Ending Spending dropping another $1.5 million between the two groups.
The pace picked up last week as Lamb, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee all launched ad buys of their own.
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