Lamb has nearly $1M in war chest
Fundraising surges for local incumbents
WASHINGTON — The end of 2019 brought a surge in fundraising for congressional incumbents in the Pittsburgh region, boosted in some cases by political action committees rather than individual contributors, recently posted federal campaign finance records showed.
In the region’s most closely watched election, Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, raised about $587,000 in the fourth quarter, bringing his total raised through the full year 2019 to nearly $1.4 million.
Heading into 2020, Mr. Lamb’s campaign war chest reached nearly $978,000 cash on hand as of Dec. 31, according to the Federal Election Commission. Unlike other incumbents, Mr. Lamb relied heavily on individual contributions rather than committees. About 85% of his fourth-quarter haul came from individuals.
Mr. Lamb’s seat representing Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District is being challenged by Republican Sean Parnell, a military veteran.
Republicans have targeted the district — which covers the northwestern Pittsburgh suburbs and all of Beaver County — as a seat they can take back. Mr. Lamb took office in 2018 after an upset win in a special election in March and defeating incumbent Keith Rothfus in November on a surge among Democrats in suburban communities.
Mr. Parnell, who launched his campaign on Oct. 30, raised $270,000 in the first two months of his campaign. He ended the year with $219,000 cash on hand. A breakdown of his contributions shows he raised $218,000 from individuals, $41,000 from committees and $11,000 from his own pocket.
Though he fell short of Mr.
Lamb’s campaign, Mr. Parnell is the most financially established congressional challenger in the region. In two other contested districts, the money gap is wider.
Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills — who at 25 years is the longest-serving member of Congress in Pennsylvania — raised $514,000 in 2019, including $117,000 in the fourth quarter. He ended the year with $514,000 cash on hand.
Mr. Doyle raised about 70% of his fourth-quarter haul from political action committees, sponsored by labor unions, the American Cable Association, Nuclear Energy Institute, Verizon and other entities — while the rest came from individual donors.
“We’re real happy with our numbers,” Mr. Doyle said in an interview Monday, pointing out recent endorsements from the Young Democrats of Allegheny County and expected endorsements from the labor unions at the Allegheny County Labor Council this week.
“I’ve got a record, I’ve lived in the district all my life, and people know who I am,” Mr. Doyle said. “We feel good about where we are.”
Jerry Dickinson, the University of Pittsburgh law professor challenging Mr. Doyle, saw a drop-off in funding.
Mr. Dickinson’s campaign raised $45,000 in the last three months of 2019, bringing his annual total to $173,011. He had about $90,000 cash on hand at the end of December — less than one-fifth of Mr. Doyle’s cash pile.
In a statement Monday, Mr. Dickinson pointed out all of his donations came from individuals. “I’m proud to be running a people-powered campaign that puts the interests of everyday people first,” he wrote.
“Those who have contributed to our campaign include educators, social workers, lawyers, plumbers, engineers and students,” he said. “This is a testament to the public’s frustration with the status quo and desire for representatives who will be accountable to everyday Americans, not corporations and special interests.”
Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, also reported a major bump in fundraising. Mr. Kelly raised $1,092,032 in 2019, including $378,588 in the fourth quarter. He ended the year with cash on hand of $794,683.
Mr. Kelly also leaned on committees for more than half of his fundraising, with support from a range of companies like UPS, FirstEnergy, Koch Industries, Mylan, Home Depot and others.
He faces a challenge from Democrat Kristy Gnibus, a teacher from Erie, who raised a total of $44,000 and ended the year with $14,688 cash on hand.
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, has no opposition on either ballot.