Khazei, Auchincloss Rake In Most Money For Congressional Race

CHESTNUT HILL, MA — During the last three months of 2019, the six candidates already vying for a chance to take the Massachusetts District 4 Congressional seat that Joe Kennedy gives up next year hit the campaign trail hard to get their name out there and to raise money.

Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss and former Brookline Select Board member Jesse Mermell are both off, having raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to their campaigns, Auchincloss has raised more than $600,000 and Mermell $300,000. And then there is the Brookline founder of the nonprofit Democracy Entrepreneurs. Alan Khazei raised nearly $800,000.

The hope: to make it past the September primary and secure a spot on the November ticket, and, if no Republican candidate comes forward to run, the seat.

But how important are the numbers? Political scientists say raising money early bodes well for them, but it's only one factor.

Because of the law that fundraising be disclosed periodically, the numbers tend to get used as quantitative measures as the health of a campaign, said Boston College's Professor Dave Hopkins. Because the finances are hard data and you can't lie about them, it does tend to be important as a signal of momentum, he said.

Raising money early tends to be a signal to political elites and can be a major factor in weighing whether to support a candidate. Another factor that may get the attention of early donors is a candidate who might not be raising the most money, but one who raises more than anticipated.

Although, yes, money is important, it only goes so far.

"It's much more complicated than someone simply being able to buy an election by outspending an opponent," Hopkins told Patch, adding that's something often misunderstood when it comes to political races.

It's important to have enough money, to get your name out there and to run a viable election campaign, he said. But having the most money isn't always what decides races.

Consider the 2016 presidential election in which the winning candidate raised some $647 million to his opponent's nearly $1.2 billion.

"There's a law of diminishing returns," said Hopkins.

Take for example a candidate who spends their money sending five, six, seven fliers to a home. That can work against them.

"There really are other things that are important in a campaign besides money. And how appealing you are as a candidate in other ways is ultimately what's going to decide the race," said Hopkins. "That's really the main lesson we get from the academic research on this."

Raised since they joined the race: (Note: the Federal Election Commission has not yet posted the numbers for Q4, these numbers come from the campaigns or previous filings)

• Alan Khazei: $796,564
• Jake Auchincloss: $609,000
• Becky Grossman: $406,000
• Jesse Mermell: $351,000
• Ihssane Leckey: $33,165
• Dave Cavell: Patch has reached out to Cavell's campaign.

Ihssane Leckey of Brookline declared she was running in May, expecting to challenge Kennedy himself. Brookline resident Alan Khazei, who co-founded City Year announced his candidacy in September. In October former Brookline Selectwoman Jesse Mermell became the third Brookline resident to announce she was running, followed by Dave Cavell. Newton City Councilors Becky Walker Grossman and Jake Auchincloss also both jumped in the race.

State Sen. Paul Feeney, of Foxborough, and State Rep. Patricia Haddad of Somerset along with former MA comptroller Tom Shack appeared to eye the seat, too.

"We don't accept money from corporate PACs, lobbyists, or developers, and are excited about the growth of our campaign," a spokesperson for Ihssane Leckey told Patch. "Our fundraising strategy is based on small dollar contributions - 94 percent of our donations are $100 or less, and we are building momentum month by month."

Of the $406,000 Grossman raised, her team said 65 percent of the contributions came from Massachusetts donors, and more than half of the donations given were $100 or less. Grossman, too, pledged not to take any contributions from corporate PACs or the fossil fuel industry.

The Fourth Congressional District includes parts of Bristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Worcester counties. Before Kennedy was elected in 2012, Barney Frank held the seat from 1981 until Kennedy took over.

Read more:

• Leckey Of Brookline Runs For Congress
• Candidate For Congress: Brookline's Alan Khazei
• Joe Kennedy Announces Run For Senate
• Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss Announces
• Newton's Grossman Declares Run For Kennedy House Seat (Sept.24)
• Candidate For Congress Jesse Mermell: Civic Engagement Runs Deep (October)
• Dave Cavell, Another Brookline Resident Runs For Congress (Oct.19)

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).