Campaign Finance Totals Published
If elections were decided by fundraising and not voters, all three of Western North Carolina’s representatives in Congress would be well on their way to securing their next terms in office.
Campaign finance filings for the first quarter of this year, along with a brief filing for the weeks before the May 6 primary, show Republican Reps. Mark Meadows, Patrick McHenry, and Virginia Foxx with strong financial advantages over challengers leading to this fall’s election.
Filings for the periods ending March 31 and May 6 were made public last month. The pre-primary report, which covers all fundraising through March 31, was released recently.
Meadows, who is seeking a second term, didn’t accept a single campaign contribution until Feb. 14, and reported only 14 itemized contributions from individuals during the first quarter. The Federal Election Commission requires candidates to itemize campaign contributions totaling more than $200.
In all, Meadows reported raising $20,197 in the first quarter and pre-primary periods. Over the same amount of time, the congressman’s campaign spent $35,859, leaving him with $90,020 to put towards the general election.
Nearly half of Meadows’s campaign contributions during the periods came from political action committees (PACs).
Rep. Patrick McHenry showed the strongest fundraising of the three, raking in $249,603 during the roughly four-month period. The congressman ended the pre-primary period with $651,341 cash on hand, more than 400 times the amount held by his Democratic opponent, Tate MacQueen.
MacQueen reported raising more than $22,000 in the first quarter and pre-primary periods. Nearly all of his total was spent, leaving the candidate with $1,548 cash on hand with five months remaining before 10th District voters go to the polls.
Many of McHenry’s PAC donors represent members of the banking and financial services industries; the congressman serves as a member of the House Financial Services Committee. In all, McHenry scored $12,500 from PACs during the period.
Rep. Virginia Foxx’s campaign in the May Republican primary brought in $182,025 in funds during the first quarter and pre-primary periods, while she spent $56,000 on her election bid. Having held the 5th District seat for a decade, Foxx has established a staggering $2 million war chest, leaving the winner of July’s Democratic runoff facing an uphill fight.
Foxx reported approximately 30% of her campaign contributions for the April quarterly coming from PACs. Foxx, who sits on the House Education and Workforce Committee and chairs the Subcommittee on Higher Education, accepted multiple contributions from members of the for-profit education industry.
Neither candidates Josh Brannon nor Gardenia Henley reached the threshold for outright victory in May’s primary. Federal Election Commission records show neither candidate with any money on hand for their campaigns in the lead up to the runoff, suggesting that the winner of July’s contest will enter the general election campaign at a serious disadvantage.
The state’s hottest election this cycle is the U.S. Senate contest between incumbent Democrat Kay Hagan and her GOP challenger Thom Tillis, who currently serves as House Speaker in the NC General Assembly. The race has become a magnet for millions of dollars from outside groups, and a recent Public Policy Polling survey showed Hagan with a five-point lead over Tillis.
The second quarter fundraising period came to a close on June 30. Candidates are required to disclose contributions by July 15.
