Moulton Has Upper Hand In Fundraising Ahead Of Primary

SALEM, MA — Jamie Zahlaway Belsito, one of two challengers running against incumbent Rep. Seth Moulton in the Sept. 1 Massachusetts Democratic primary, had raised $72,203.51 for her campaign as of Aug. 1, including $4,472.81 since July 1.

Moulton, meanwhile, raised $4,500 from four contributors over the weekend, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Incumbent candidates have long held a key advantage over primary and general election challengers, and that's their ability to stock their warchests with campaign contributions. In the current election cycle, Moulton has raised $543,000, including $53,183.85 between July 1 and Aug. 12 according to pre-primary campaign finance reports the candidates submitted this week.

The pre-primary report of third candidate in the race, Angus McQuilken, had not been posted on the FEC Website as of Thursday afternoon. Between Oct. 1 and June 30, he had raised $95,178 - more than Belsito but a far from Moulton's haul.

The winner of the Sept. 1 primary will face Republican John Paul Moran, who had raised $126,000 as of June 30.

Dave Copeland covers the North Shore for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).