This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
Former U.S. Rep. Donna F. Edwards outraised former Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey by more than $177,000 over the first three months of the year in the Democratic primary for the vacant 4th District congressional seat, campaign finance records filed with the Federal Election Commission show.
But Ivey, who entered the primary about two months before Edwards did, has raised about $100,000 more than Edwards so far and had about $120,000 more in his campaign account as of March 31.
The 4th District primary is shaping up to be one of the marquee congressional races in Maryland this year, with Edwards and Ivey as the leading contenders.
Campaign finance reports reflecting fundraising and spending for the congressional candidates over the first three months of the year were due at the Federal Election Commission at midnight on Friday. The last-minute candidates who entered congressional races last week — the filing deadline in Maryland for candidates to get on the July 19 primary ballot also happened to be Friday — were not required to file FEC reports.
Edwards, who held the 4th District seat from 2008 to 2016, entered this year’s race on Jan. 20. Since then, she reported raising $625,191 and had $460,112 in her war chest on March 31 after spending $165,078 during that period of time.
Ivey reported raising $447,807 since Jan. 1 and finished the reporting period with $583,714 in his campaign account. He spent $102,653 in the first three months of the year and has raised $725,389 since joining the race to replace outgoing Rep. Anthony G. Brown (D), who is running for state attorney general, in November.
Ivey’s total was boosted by a $150,000 dollar loan he made to his campaign on March 28.
He was also bolstered by more than 100 donations sent his campaign’s way by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Political Action Committee. The pro-Israel lobbying group that has taken issue with some of Edwards’ past votes in Congress has funneled more than $158,000 to Ivey’s campaign since the start of this cycle.
He also received $1,000 donation from former Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett (D) and contributions from the campaign accounts of Del. C.T. Wilson (D-Charles), $999; Del. Diana Fennell (D-Prince George’s), $500; Prince George’s County Councilmember Mel Franklin (D), $999; and comptroller candidate Tim Adams, $900.
Edwards received dozens of donations by way of Democracy Engine, a Democratic-affiliated PAC, and donations from big names including Barbra Streisand ($2,000), George Soros ($2,900), and Larry Rockefeller ($2,900).
Other donors included $500 from former Virginia Rep. Barbara Comstock (R), and contributions from the campaign accounts of former Florida Rep. Donna Shalala (D), $1,000; California Rep. Anna Eshoo (D), $2,000; former Maryland state Del. Jimmy Tarlau (D), $200; and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-South Carolina), $4,000.
Former state Del. Angela Angel (D-Prince George’s) is also seeking the 4th District seat. She reported receipts of $99,420 since Jan. 1 — including a $45,000 loan from her own pocket — and had $95,422 in the bank on March 31.
Del. Jazz M. Lewis (D-Prince George’s) was also competing in the 4th District race but he dropped out last week and decided to seek re-election to his legislative seat instead. Still, he filed an FEC report showing he had $168,261 in his campaign account through March 31.
In other races:
In the 1st District, U.S. Rep. Andrew P. Harris, the lone Republican in the state’s congressional delegation, and one of the Democrats seeking to unseat him, former state Del. Heather R. Mizeur, both reported war chests of more than $1 million as of March 31.
Democrats had initially drawn the 1st District to become considerably more competitive than it had been for decades, but after a judge threw out that map, the redrawn district now tilts considerably toward the GOP again. Still, Mizeur has been raising money at a break-neck pace. Through March 31, she had $1,117,654 in the bank, after raising $372,309 in the first three months of the year and spending $144,342 during that time. She has raised $1,706,518 since entering the race in January 2021.
Harris has more cash on hand and outraised Mizeur over the past three months, however. He banked $1,882,301 after raising $468,411 in the first quarter of the year and spending $109,760. He has raised less than Mizeur in this election cycle, though: $1,261,512.
A second Democratic candidate, R. David Harden, reported $82,538 in the bank after raising $78,308 in the first three months of the year. He has collected $332,602 this cycle.
In the 6th District, which became considerably more competitive with the new congressional map, Rep. David J. Trone (D), one of the wealthiest members of Congress, put another $2 million of his own money into his campaign account in the first quarter of the year, and finished the reporting period with $2,006,983 in the bank. The leading Republican candidate, Del. Neil C. Parrott (R-Washington), had $261,785 in his war chest on March 31 after raising $24,620 in the first three months of the year.
Republicans last week released polling from the 6th District showing a generic Republican running roughly even with a generic Democrat. The national GOP tried unsuccessfully to persuade Del. Jason C. Buckel (R-Allegany), the House minority leader in Annapolis, to run, but he declined. Parrott lost to Trone by 20 points two years ago, but the district and the political environment have changed.
In one other potentially competitive district, the 2nd, U.S. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D) reported raising $150,754 over the past three months. He had $1,334,142 in the bank on March 31. Three credible Republican candidates, led by Republican National Committeewoman Nicolee Ambrose, entered the race last week.
Four other Democratic House incumbents — Reps. John P. Sarbanes in the 3rd District, Steny H. Hoyer in the 5th, Kweisi Mfume in the 7th and Jamie B. Raskin in the 8th — seem like safe bets for reelection, even though their district lines have changed to one degree or another.
Sarbanes reported $1,004,722 in his campaign account as of March 31. The best-known Republican in the race, former WBAL radio personality Yuripzy Morgan, had $34,298 on hand.
Mfume, who has no significant opposition, reported $476,430 in his campaign treasury.
Hoyer, the House majority leader, and Raskin, who has become a Democratic icon since leading the second impeachment trial of President Trump, have sizeable campaign war chests but are giving their money away to fellow Democrats at a rapid clip.
Hoyer raised $511,861 in the first three months of the year and had $1,409,538. He gave $82,000 to Democratic congressional candidates in the first quarter — including $2,000 to Mizeur — and also donated $2,500 to Brown’s campaign for attorney general and $2,500 to Bowie City Councilmember Adrian Boafo, who is seeking a seat in the House of Delegates. Boafo is a former Hoyer campaign manager.
Raskin raised $908,290 from January through March and reported $2,463,613 in campaign cash. He donated $100,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, $14,000 to Democratic congressional candidates — including $2,000 to Mizeur — and also gave $2,000 to Del. Brooke E. Lierman (D-Baltimore City) for her campaign for state comptroller.
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D), who has no significant opposition now that Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) has opted against making the race, had $5,496,189 on hand after raising $974,885 since Jan. 1. The Republican Senate candidate with the most cash on hand on March 31 was James Tarantin, with $95,060.
