Rep. Paul Hodes '72, D-N.H. and Ann McLane Kuster '78 have outstripped the fundraising efforts of their closest competitors in their respective races to represent New Hampshire in Congress, according to newly-released fundraising reports from the campaigns, WMUR reported.
Kuster, who has yet to secure the Democratic nomination, hopes to compete against one of several Republican challengers for Hodes' 2nd District seat, which will be vacated when Hodes runs for Senate. Former 2nd District Rep. Charlie Bass '74, R-N.H., who is widely expected to enter the race, would be the Republican frontrunner if he decides to run, according to WMUR.
Hodes, the only Democrat running for the Senate seat, will face one of four Republican opponents in the race, most notably former N.H. Attorney General Kelly Ayotte.
"In the end, this is a race that the Republicans and the Democrats are both going to target, so long as both candidates demonstrate enough ability to raise money that the national parties take them seriously," government professor Linda Fowler said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Hodes's campaign has raised $2.25 million overall, according to WMUR, up from $1.6 million as of Sept. 30, 2009, according to the Federal Election Commission's web site. Ayotte has raised $1.24 million, WMUR reported.
Hodes, who trailed Ayotte by 9 percentage points in a Jan. 12 Rasmussen Reports poll, raised $701,653 in the last quarter, and his campaign reported having $1.43 million in available cash. Ayotte's campaign has raised $630,000 in the last quarter and has received contributions from 1,100 New Hampshire donors, according to recently released fundraising figures posted by WMUR. The Ayotte campaign reported spending $240,000, and has $966,000 in available cash, according to WMUR.
In addition to Ayotte, Hodes' potential Republican challengers include businessmen Bill Binnie and Jim Bender, as well as lawyer and former chairman of the state Board of Education Ovide Lamontagne.
Other candidates running for the Senate seat are focusing their energies and funds on media and publicity efforts, according to WMUR. Binnie has started a "media blitz" that includes TV ads and mailers delivered across the state, according to a Jan. 29 WMUR article. WMUR reported that Bender has combined funds with Binnie, amassing $1.7 million of their personal finances towards increasing awareness among New Hampshire voters and putting pressure on Republican frontrunner Ayotte.
Binnie reported raising $255,000 and self-funding another $1.26 million for his campaign, according to a press release from Binnie's campaign. Binnie has not released his financial numbers to the FEC, The Dartmouth previously reported.
Lamontagne has been less focused on public advertising, according to the post by WMUR. Lamontagne has not released funding numbers to the FEC.
"I think we can expect that both the Senate campaign committees and the national interest groups will be spending a lot of money in this state," Fowler said. "The total being spent in the race will probably be particularly high for New Hampshire, and only some of it will be raised by the candidates."
Kuster faces several challengers for the Democratic nomination, including Democrat Katrina Swett, who is supported by excess funds from her 2008 run for Senate, The Dartmouth previously reported. Firefighter John DeJoie, a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, will also challenge Kuster for the Democratic nomination.
Potential Republican nominees include conservative radio talk show host Jennifer Horn, former state representative Bob Giuda and former New Hampshire state Senate Majority Leader Bob Clegg. Bass, who lost to Hodes in 2006 and has not officially announced his candidacy, remains Kuster's most formidable potential Republican challenger, according to the WMUR Granite State Poll published on Oct. 5, 2009.
As of Jan. 6, Kuster's campaign has raised approximately $206,000 in the past quarter, and has raised $550,000 since she joined the race, according to WMUR.
An exploratory committee commissioned by Bass in September, supposedly to prepare for a run in the 2nd District, released its fundraising numbers on Jan. 28. The committee raised approximately $147,000 in the fourth quarter and has $160,000 available, according to a Jan. 28 WMUR article. A spokesman from Bass' committee expressed satisfaction with the numbers, considering that Bass has not officially announced his candidacy and did not actively pursue fundraising, according to WMUR.
"If he decides to run and gets the nomination, the national party will be enthusiastic and support him," Fowler said of Bass.
There is no polling data currently available for the 2nd District races, The Dartmouth previously reported.
