House, Senate fundraising on rise in third quarter, early reports show

House and Senate candidates around the country posted their biggest numbers of the cycle in the third quarter, according to figures that came in prior to Wednesday’s Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing deadline.

The biggest early winners appeared to be Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) and Minnesota House candidate Ashwin Madia (D).

{mosads}Madia had one of the top quarters of the cycle for a House candidate, whether incumbent or challenger, raising nearly $1 million for his campaign in retiring Rep. Jim Ramstad’s (R-Minn.) swing district.

The big quarter means Madia, who surprised many by beating the establishment candidate for his state party’s endorsement, nearly doubled his total raised for the cycle.

Meanwhile, Dole’s campaign said Tuesday that she raised more than $3 million in the third quarter — about $1 million more than she raised in the second quarter.

The favorite daughter of North Carolina, who finds herself trailing in most polling against state Sen. Kay Hagan (D), will also partially self-fund her campaign, her campaign said Tuesday. But spokesman Dan McLagan said no self-funding will show up in the third-quarter report, which runs through Sept. 30, and would not characterize her contributions or potential contributions.

Candidates no longer have to disclose self-funding instantaneously, after the Supreme Court overturned the Millionaire’s Amendment earlier this year.

Campaigns still had 24 hours to file the quarterly reports by the end of the day Tuesday.

In other Senate races, Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley and Texas state Rep. Rick Noriega topped their previous quarters as well, while Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) came up just shy of matching his second-quarter total.

Merkley, who has relied heavily on the national party in his race against Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), pulled in more than $2 million, his campaign said.

The campaign of Noriega, a long shot against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), raised $1 million, while Cornyn raised $1.9 million and banked $7.2 million for the final month-plus of the campaign.

Allen, who is trying to gain traction in a top-targeted race against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), raised slightly less than the $1 million he pulled in during the second quarter. Collins raised just more than $1 million and banked $3.3 million.

Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) raised $950,000 for his reelection campaign against former Rep. Jim Slattery (D), while Oklahoma state Sen. Andrew Rice (D) pulled in a cycle-high $900,000 for an uphill battle against Sen. James Inhofe (R).

Inhofe also raised $900,000 for the quarter. He had $2 million on hand.

Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), who appears primed for a return to the Senate less than two years after suffering a brain aneurysm, raised $500,000 and banked $1.6 million.

{mospagebreak}In a House race that spends more like a Senate race, Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) raised $850,000 to Democrat Dan Seals’s $700,000. Kirk is one of only a few Republicans representing a district carried by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004.

Also turning in big quarters in the House were Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.), and Democrats Jim Himes, Martin Heinrich, Harry Teague and Gary Peters.

{mosads}Hayes, who is looking to fend off Democrat Larry Kissell for the second straight cycle after a near-miss in 2006, raised $670,000 and had $1.1 million in the bank against Kissell, who has struggled with money and raised just $620,000 total through June 30.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has spent more than $900,000 to even the playing field against Hayes.

Himes, who is hoping to be the one to finally knock off Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), pulled in $800,000, while New Mexico 1st district candidate Heinrich raised $750,000.

In another New Mexico race, Teague’s third-quarter report showed a $500,000 loan to his campaign. Teague also raised $650,000 and spent nearly all $1.1 million of it. He had $150,000 on hand at the end of the quarter.

Peters raised $650,000 in about 75 days for his campaign against Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.), according to the Detroit News. Michigan’s reporting periods are slightly shorter due to an early August primary date.

A top GOP challenger, Kansas Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, raised $640,000 over two and a half months and had $550,000 on hand against freshman Rep. Nancy Boyda (D).

Against Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), top GOP hope Lou Barletta pulled in $400,000 and banked $250,000.
Also in Pennsylvania, freshman Rep. Jason Altmire (D) raised $510,000 and banked $1.2 million for his rematch with former Rep. Melissa Hart (R).

In another rematch, former Rep. Mike Sodrel (R-Ind.) had a relatively weak quarter against Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), raising just $180,000 and banking $260,000.

Sodrel, who raised $2 million at this point as an incumbent last cycle, has raised just $800,000 this cycle.

Though he has self-funded in past races, spokesman Ryan Reger said he has not done so this cycle.