Out-of-staters filling Markey, Neal coffers
Opponent: Rep should return $22G from Trump backer
Bay State Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard Neal pocketed the majority of his donations from out-of-state donors and PACs instead of locals just as the long-serving pol is facing fresh scrutiny about his donors.
Progressive Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse has already targeted the congressman’s fundraising — demanding Neal return campaign donations from Stephen Ross, the billionaire owner of SoulCycle who’s hosting a fundraiser for President Trump.
“That’s what’s wrong about Washington — politicians care about money but don’t care where it comes from,” Morse said in a statement.
More than 80% of Neal’s campaign contributions this year come from out of state, and nearly 97% of his funding comes from outside his district, according to federal campaign fundraising reports.
Neal, a powerful 12-term incumbent, raised $356,000 from individuals this year while taking in $747,000 from political action committees representing corporations like Walmart and CVS. Neal got more than $22,000 from Ross and his wife in June. The high-rolling investor who owns Equinox and SoulCycle faced backlash this weekend from devotees of the sweat-soaked millennial gyms.
“Congressman Neal should immediately return all campaign contributions from Stephen Ross, and any other billionaires actively working to re-elect this president,” said Morse.
Progressive Democrats have long championed donations from local, individual donors as opposed to large corporations. Although Neal and other Democratic incumbents have been flooded with outof-state donations for a while, far-left leaning challengers have recently upped their criticism.
The majority of donations to Sen. Ed Markey, meanwhile, are also from out of state, with contributions from Chevy Chase, Md., and Washington, D.C., topping donations from Boston, according to campaign reports.
Representatives for both Markey and Neal argued they have plenty of in-state unreported contributions. Candidates only report individual contributions above $200.
Lawyer Shannon LissRiordan and businessman Steve Pemberton have already announced they plan to take on the 72-yearold senator, although they haven’t yet taken aim at Markey’s fundraising.