In the most recent quarter, Lewiston Democrat Jared Golden raised almost five times as much money for his 2nd District congressional race as the Republican incumbent he hopes to defeat.
Golden brought in $2.7 million compared to $538,000 for U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, who has represented the sprawling district since 2014.
Calling it an indication that voters “are ready for real change,” Golden said Monday that he is “incredibly thankful to each and every person who has put their trust in me and my campaign.”
Poliquin, who started off with a much larger campaign treasury, retains a large advantage when it comes to the amount of cash he has available to spend.
As of Sept. 30, Poliquin’s campaign said it had $2.1 million available to spend, while Golden had $640,000 still left over from the total raised that he can dip into for the final month of the race.
Poliquin’s “substantial cash advantage puts him in a strong position in the final weeks of the campaign,” said Brendan Conley, the congressman’s campaign spokesman. Golden’s campaign said it would tell the Federal Election Commission on Monday that it raised $2,721,581 from nearly 20,000 donors during the third quarter of 2018. It said the Democrat’s “strong fundraising reflects excitement among voters on the ground and the momentum his campaign has built over the past 13 months.”
Poliquin’s campaign said it raised $538,476 in July, August and September.
In the Senate race, incumbent Angus King, an independent, reported raising $497,023 in the third quarter, for a total of $4.6 million since January 2017.
“Maine people recognize Senator King’s hard work on behalf of the state, and their enthusiasm for his re-election campaign shows that they want his common sense leadership back in Washington,” Toby McGrath, King’s campaign manager, said in a statement announcing the fundraising figures.
King’s challengers, Republican state Sen. Eric Brakey and Democrat Zak Ringelstein, had yet to release their reports.
Candidates in the 1st District congressional race, including incumbent Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree, independent Martin Grohman and Republican Mark Holbrook, also were required to file reports by midnight Monday.
In addition to the money raised by the candidates, millions of dollars have been spent on the 2nd District race by super PACs and each political party to try to boost their favorite candidate in the Nov. 6 election.
Republican officials pointed out that Poliquin won in both 2014 and 2016 despite being outspent by his Democratic foes and outside groups hoping to boost the Democrats.
The two independents in the race – Portland lawyer Tiffany Bond and Southwest Harbor educator Will Hoar – are not expected to have raised enough to be required to report to the Federal Election Commission. Bond has refused to accept any donations for her campaign.
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