US Senate, House candidates report on cash in Vt.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Incumbency has its advantages. One of them is money, and the campaigns of U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch have plenty of it, according to campaign finance reports filed Thursday.
Leahy has $3.2 million on hand for his campaign against Democrat Daniel Freilich and Republican Len Britton, while fellow Democrat Welch boosted his war chest to more than $1 million between April 1 and June 30, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Thursday was the deadline for filing reports for the period.
Leahy, who was first elected in 1974 and is seeking a seventh term, reported total contributions of $458,504 in the period and $4.1 million overall. He spent $275,880 in the April-June period and had $3,290,322 on hand after it, according to his report.
He faces Freilich in the Democratic primary and in the general election, since Freilich also filed as an independent, meaning he can run in November even if he loses the primary.
Freilich, a U.S. Navy physician from Wilmington making his first bid for elected office, reported contributions of $16,272, expenditures of $21,666 and $1,698 cash on hand as of June 30.
"I think we've raised more than anyone's ever raised against him in the primary," Freilich said. "This is the first time there is a serious challenge, and there's a reasonable chance of beating him, despite the disparity in money."
Britton, owner-operator of Britton's Lumber, Landscape and Feed store, in Taftsville, reported raising $88,484 to date, spending $87,386 and contributing $3,508 to his own cause. He had $4,606 cash on hand at month's end.
Welch, D-Vt., has no primary challenge this year. But he reported raising $179,815 between April 1 and June 30, leaving $1,011,019 cash on hand. His campaign spent $102,211 in the period, according to his filing.
His GOP opponents were nowhere close. One was in the red:
-John M. Mitchell, of Rutland, reported cash on hand of minus $1,131, as well as $12,050 in debts.
-Keith Stern, of Springfield, reported loaning his campaign $10,000, saying it was the only contribution he received in the period. He spent $1,477 and had $8,522 on hand as of the end of July, his report said. In an interview, he said he's saving his fundraising for the general election, when he'll face Welch - if he gets through the primary. "If I win the primary, I'm going to need a lot of money to run against Peter Welch. So I'd rather have the money for that," he said.
-Paul Beaudry, of Swanton, said he filed his campaign finance report last week, but it wasn't showing on the FEC's website Thursday. According to Beaudry, he received about $13,000 in contributions during the quarter, spent about $8,000 and had about $5,000 on hand.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Incumbency has its advantages. One of them is money, and the campaigns of U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch have plenty of it, according to campaign finance reports filed Thursday.
Leahy has $3.2 million on hand for his campaign against Democrat Daniel Freilich and Republican Len Britton, while fellow Democrat Welch boosted his war chest to more than $1 million between April 1 and June 30, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Thursday was the deadline for filing reports for the period.
Leahy, who was first elected in 1974 and is seeking a seventh term, reported total contributions of $458,504 in the period and $4.1 million overall. He spent $275,880 in the April-June period and had $3,290,322 on hand after it, according to his report.
He faces Freilich in the Democratic primary and in the general election, since Freilich also filed as an independent, meaning he can run in November even if he loses the primary.
Freilich, a U.S. Navy physician from Wilmington making his first bid for elected office, reported contributions of $16,272, expenditures of $21,666 and $1,698 cash on hand as of June 30.
"I think we've raised more than anyone's ever raised against him in the primary," Freilich said. "This is the first time there is a serious challenge, and there's a reasonable chance of beating him, despite the disparity in money."
Britton, owner-operator of Britton's Lumber, Landscape and Feed store, in Taftsville, reported raising $88,484 to date, spending $87,386 and contributing $3,508 to his own cause. He had $4,606 cash on hand at month's end.
Welch, D-Vt., has no primary challenge this year. But he reported raising $179,815 between April 1 and June 30, leaving $1,011,019 cash on hand. His campaign spent $102,211 in the period, according to his filing.
His GOP opponents were nowhere close. One was in the red:
-John M. Mitchell, of Rutland, reported cash on hand of minus $1,131, as well as $12,050 in debts.
-Keith Stern, of Springfield, reported loaning his campaign $10,000, saying it was the only contribution he received in the period. He spent $1,477 and had $8,522 on hand as of the end of July, his report said. In an interview, he said he's saving his fundraising for the general election, when he'll face Welch - if he gets through the primary. "If I win the primary, I'm going to need a lot of money to run against Peter Welch. So I'd rather have the money for that," he said.
-Paul Beaudry, of Swanton, said he filed his campaign finance report last week, but it wasn't showing on the FEC's website Thursday. According to Beaudry, he received about $13,000 in contributions during the quarter, spent about $8,000 and had about $5,000 on hand.
