Finello Fundraising Up, Still Way Behind Fitzpatrick In PA-01

Recent polling shows a tight race for the U.S. Congress seat representing Bucks County and a small sliver of Montgomery County. But, if Democrat Christina Finello is to oust incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, she'll likely have to overcome a big money gap to do so.

On Tuesday, Finello's campaign was celebrating raising more than $310,000 in the second-quarter reporting period, which ended June 30. But that pales in comparison to the $2.3 million the Fitzpatrick campaign raked in during the previous fundraising period, the nearly $1.7 million his campaign had in the bank as of May 13 and the $455,000 its raised since then.

The Federal Elections Commission website had not been updated Tuesday with the June 30 numbers for Finello and Fitzpatrick's campaigns. A spokesperson for Fitzpatrick told Patch the incumbent raised $455,000 from the beginning of April to the end of June.

Since Fitzpatrick and Finello secured their party nominations in the June 2 primary elections, polls have showed a closer race than some analysts had predicted. A June 22 poll by Victoria Research & Consulting showed the race as a dead heat and a June 15 poll by Public Policy Polling had Finello two points behind Fitzpatrick (40 to 38 percent), which was within the poll's margin of error.

Fitzpatrick's big numbers from last quarter included about $737,000 in individual contributions and more than $1.5 million in donations from political action committees and transfers from Republican members of Congress and other politicians.

It's an impressive haul that has Republicans confident Fitzpatrick can hold onto his seat, even in an environment that may be unfriendly to Republicans nationwide. Last month, when contacted by Patch about polls showing a close race, a Republican campaign worker responded with screen shots of Fitzpatrick and Finello's fundraising totals.

But staffers for Finello, an Ivyland Borough Council member and county courts solicitor, say they're sensing momentum in the most recent numbers. In a press release sent out Tuesday, her campaign said it raised more than $200,000 of the $310,000 in June alone.

"We are so humbled by the faith our supporters have placed in me and this campaign," Finello said in the release. "Our broad network of grassroots supporters shows the growing momentum of this race and that voters in Bucks and Montgomery Counties are ready for a change. Families around here want a Representative in Congress who tells it to them straight and always votes in their best interests."

Finello says her campaign is not accepting contributions from corporate political action committees, citing the need to lead by example on campaign finance reform. Over 7,000 donors contributed $100 or less and the average contribution for this quarter was $26, according to Tuesday's news release.

Last week, University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato moved the race for Pennsylvania's First Congressional District from "likely Republican" to "leans Republican." His group made changes in its analysis of 11 congressional races. Of those, 10 changes favored Democrats.

Sabato's group said former Vice President Joe Biden's lead in polls over President Donald Trump is helping influence congressional races, particularly in well-educated suburban areas with diverse populations.