The eight Republicans running for Congress in the First Congressional District probably will not spend anything near the 15 million dollars already spent in the GOP governor's race. But like the gubernatorial candidates, the congressional candidates with the most to spend have spent mostly their own money. NHPR's David Darman has more.
Businessman Sean Mahoney of Portsmouth is leading the Republican money race in the first congressional district. Mahoney leads with more than seven hundred thousand dollars raised, though more than 80 percent of that total is Mahoney's own money. Mahoney says he's spent that money to distinguish himself from his seven competitors.
21 02 it's a very crowded primary season right now. Its very important that we get the opportunity to get the message out to voters. 21 10
Mahoney's is conveying his message in a blizzard of television ads, like this one that recently aired on WMUR-TV.
43 big government liberals in Washington. Scoundrels in the corporate boardrooms. And families pay the price. BOOM BOOM. 43 07
Campaign pundits say its wise for candidates in a crowded field to put ads on television. The ads can establish name recognition. But for several of the candidates, raising money has been a challenge. For instance, no Republican has raised as much as two hundred- thousand dollars. Greg Geroux of Congressional Quarterly, a publication that follows congressional races across the country, says the fundraising has been slow because the field is mostly unknown.
28 03 I think in this race its unusual that you have 8 primary candidates and really, the lack of a really clear frontrunner. There's no real star candidate here, and that's unusual in a race like this28 15
Not every candidate can afford to put several hundred thousand dollars of their own money into their campaigns. John Stephen of Manchester has lent himself about forty-thousand dollars, to bring his total receipts to about two hundred-thousand dollars. For Stephen, this has been enough to air television ads of his own. But he admits he can't air as many ads as his more wealthy competitors.
04 46 I have nothing against anyone who is independently wealthy, its just more difficult for others, and I just want to make sure that, you know, when we all run for congress in this race that we stick to the issues. 04 100
that's what I want to talk about the issues.
Wayne Barrows of Rye has raised just over one hundred-thousand dollars for the race. But early in the race, he had lent his cmpaign nearly that much. Barrows says he put the money up to get his campaign started.
05 I got into the race somewhere in april, and by the standards of this race, that was a late entry. And I think it was important to get into the race and let activists around the state. I wanted to show them a commitment from my end, before I went out and started asking others for money. 05 24
Barrows doesn't accept money from Political Action Committees, or PACs, and he supports campaign finance reform. But several other candidates have received money from PACs. Jeb Bradley of Wolfeboro has financed nearly 80 percent of his four hundred thousand dollar budget himself. But his biggest outside contribution is five thousand dollars from the Realtors Poltical Action Committee of Chicago. Bradley says he won't let that contribution, or any others, affect his efforts in Congress if he is elected.
18 41 I've worked over my time in the legislature to bring people together, and that's certainly what I'll do as a member of congress. I won't play favorites, but I will always listen, to the facts of the case, regardless of who the interested parties are. 18 58
Whoever wins the Republican primary for the first Congressional District will probably find that it will be easier to raise money once the field of candidates is reduced to one. But while state and national Republican money may finally start to flow, pundits say it will be difficult to catch up with the probable Democratic nominee, Martha Fuller Clark. Clark has already raised more than one point six million dollars.
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