Republican fundraising across several swing districts held by vulnerable Democrats has surged during the second quarter of 2020.
Jim Bognet, a former Donald Trump administration official and Republican nominee for Pennsylvania’s eighth congressional district, announced that they had raised $266,512.90 in the second quarter. This marks the largest sum ever raised in the same filing period against incumbent Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA). Cartwright raised $278,120.21, only slightly more than Bognet.
Bognet said in a statement on Wednesday that, unlike Cartwright, he understands the people of Pennsylvania’s eighth congressional district. He said:
Matt Cartwright’s self serving time in Congress is up. I may just be the grandson of a coal miner who grew up digging ditches – I didn’t attend Canadian boarding school and I don’t fly on private jets – but I am going to build a broad movement of plumbers, truck drivers, factory workers, teachers, nurses, small business owners, cops, and coal miners. Together we will show the woke liberals that control the national Democrats that their and Matt Cartwright’s radical defund the police agenda has no place in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Matt Mowers, a former Trump administration official running in New Hampshire’s first congressional district against Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), announced on Tuesday that he had raised $218,954.89 during the second quarter, with $444,594.86 cash on hand.
Mowers said in a statement on Tuesday that he would help President Trump enact his America First agenda, saying:
I am honored and humbled that supporters have gathered across the Granite State to support our campaign’s pro-police, America First agenda as we work with President Trump to take the fight to the Pelosi-Pappas machine. New Hampshire voters remember how Pelosi pulled out all the stops with special interest dollars to ensure that Chris Pappas, who votes with her 100% of the time, would be by her side in D.C. After witnessing the recent lawlessness and violence promoted by Pappas and his allies in Washington, voters are ready to return commonsense values to the First District.
Trump and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) have endorsed Mowers’ bid for Congress.
Derrick Van Orden, a Navy SEAL who is running to unseat Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) in Wisconsin’s third district, raised more than $500,000 in the second quarter.
“Derrick’s herculean fundraising efforts feature donors from all 18 of Wisconsin’s 3rd District counties, as well as 71 of the 72 counties throughout the state,” Van Orden’s campaign wrote in a press release on Tuesday.
These conservative candidates represent three of the 30 congressional districts that President Donald Trump won during the 2016 presidential election, but House Democrats managed to flip during the 2018 presidential elections. Republicans need to retake a net 17 House seats to regain the House majority, and these districts could serve as three of the 17 pivotal seats to help House Republicans enact the president’s legislative agenda in a second Trump term.
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.