Challengers battle to catch up with incumbent Jaime Herrera Beutler’s war chest
Challengers to Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler in the race for the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the Third Congressional District continue to face the challenge of raising enough funds to use in their effort to unseat the incumbent.
Herrera Beutler, a Republican from Battle Ground, has raised a total of just over $1.2 million as of June 30, the end of the second quarter, according to totals provided by the Federal Election Commission. The congresswoman has just over $1 million in cash on hand.
Of the Republican challengers in the race, Joe Kent is leading the pack with $635,623 in funds raised and $512,150 cash on hand. Heidi St. John has raised $279,570 and has $221,780 cash on hand. Wadi Yakhour has raised $36,418 and has $15,356 cash on hand.
The Democrats in the race include Brent Hennrich ($11,818 raised, $3,958 cash on hand) and Lucy Lauser ($314 raised, $160 cash on hand). Both have yet to raise a substantial amount of funds.
In a news release on the second quarter financial report, Kent’s staff pointed out that he raised $366,000 from April through June (second quarter) of this year.
“Kent raised more money from individuals than all Republican candidates combined, including the incumbent congresswoman,’’ Kent’s news release stated. “Unlike Herrera Beutler, Kent’s contributions came from hard-working Americans, while Herrera Beutler is reliant on corporate PAC’s for more than half of her money raised, Kent has $512K in the bank, nearly $300K more than the nearest competitor to Herrera Beutler.
“The success of this campaign is due to the hundreds of local volunteers, over fifty public events held all over the district, conservative media attention from around the country, and donations from patriotic Americans,’’ Kent’s news release stated. “We look forward to another successful financial quarter in three months time.’’
A news release from St. John pointed out that the candidate raised $145,000 in the second quarter after raising $130,000 in the first quarter.
“This strong fundraising result reflects the appeal of the St. John candidacy among a community
she has served faithfully for nearly two decades, raising her family, building three businesses and advocating tirelessly for her fellow Washingtonians,’’ stated a news release from the St. John campaign. “One of the surest methods to measure the electability of a candidate is through individual donations. Each individual donation represents more than a passing commitment to work and vote to elect that candidate.’’
St. John also commented on the second quarter fundraising.
“I am honored and grateful that my message of country, family and traditional values is resonating with so many voters in the 3rd Congressional District of Washington and America
First supporters throughout our nation,’’ St. John stated. “This is not just my fight. This is everyone’s fight and every donation brings us closer to our goal of reclaiming our nation, our state and our community from those who seek to destroy all we hold dear.”
wpDiscuz
