Fitzpatrick, Finello Claim Fundraising Records In Congress Race

DOYLESTOWN, PA — It was a record-breaking few months of fundraising in the race for the Pennsylvania seat in Congress representing Bucks and a sliver of Montgomery County. The question, which may take some time to answer, is which candidate broke the record.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick was first out of the gate Tuesday morning, with campaign aides telling Patch he had raised more than $900,000 during the 90-day period from July 1-Sept. 30. With a month left in the campaign, Fitzpatrick was reporting more than $1.3 million still in the bank.

But, hours later, the campaign for Christina Finello, the Democratic councilwoman from Ivyland who is challenging Fitzpatrick, announced she'd raised about $925,000 over the same time period.

Both campaigns said their third-quarter fundraising total set an all-time record in the district.

Neither campaign released an exact dollar figure on Tuesday and those numbers were not yet published on the website for the Federal Election Commission. The candidates were participating in a debate at Bucks County Community College's campus in Bristol on Tuesday afternoon and campaign aides were not available to provide those details.

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"It is no coincidence that in the very same year that Brian Fitzpatrick earned the highest independence score ever recorded in U.S. history, he likewise is setting all-time district fundraising records," said campaign spokeswoman Kate Constantini in a release Tuesday morning. "People across our community and across our nation are completely embracing Brian's higher calls for unification, bipartisanship and problem-solving. Brian believes this to the very core of his being."

Tuesday afternoon, Finello's camp sent out a copy of the Fitzpatrick campaign's press release, but with "corrections" marked on it in red. Instead of highlighting his independence, the Finello version says Fitzpatrick "embraced President Trump's lies and fear-mongering."

The strong quarter for both candidates likely still leaves Finello well behind Fitzpatrick in overall fundraising. Her campaign's release did not say how much money it had on hand as of Sept. 30.

As of June 30, Fitzpatrick had raised roughly $2.7 million, with about $1.8 million still on hand, while Finello had brought in about $511,000, with a little under $300,000 left in the bank, according to their reports to the Federal Election Commission.

The fundraising news comes as Finello is touting the endorsements of the sheriffs in both Bucks and Montgomery counties. Those are significant endorsements for the Democrat after the Fitzpatrick campaign has spent part of its bankroll on TV ads attempting to tie her to efforts to defund police departments.

"Christina Finello has worked closely with police departments to develop best practices on keeping officers and the public safe during difficult situations, and I know that she will bring this valuable experience to her work in Congress," said Montgomery County Sheriff Sean P. Kilkenny said in a news release from the campaign Monday. "Washington would be a better place if more experts like Christina served there and I am proud to endorse her campaign."

Polling shortly after the June primaries showed Fitzpatrick and Finello neck-and-neck in the race for Pennsylvania's First Congressional District, which includes all of Bucks and a sliver of Montgomery County.

But more recent polling has shown Fitzpatrick opening up double-digit leads in the race.

Democrats have been eyeing the seat as a potential flip during a presidential election year. Democrat Hillary Clinton won the district by two percentage points in 2016.