AUGUSTA, Maine — Democratic 2nd Congressional District candidates Emily Cain and Joe Baldacci raised a combined $625,000 through September’s end, according to federal campaign records released Thursday.
However, that total is less than half of the amount left in the war chest of freshman U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, the Republican they’re trying to unseat in 2016.
Through September, Poliquin has raised nearly $1.6 million for his first re-election campaign, with nearly $1.3 million in his coffers after raising more than $450,000 between July and September, according to filings released on Thursday, when fundraising reports for 2015’s third quarter were due to the Federal Election Commission.
Cain, a former state senator from Orono, has raised more than $510,000 so far, with nearly $368,000 in her account after raising $206,000 in the third quarter.
In Baldacci’s first fundraising period since entering the race in July, the Bangor city councilor and lawyer raised more than $124,000, with $81,000 left. However, Baldacci loaned his campaign $32,000, making up more than a quarter of his haul.
Poliquin released his top-line fundraising figures on Monday, but details weren’t available until the filings went public on Thursday. He raised 63 percent of his money during the last period from political action committees and other members of Congress — the source of about half his campaign cash to date.
He has raised much of his money behind his position on the House Financial Services Committee. Through June, Poliquin had received the second-highest amount of money from Wall Street of all House members in competitive races, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. During this period, he added about $62,000 from financial services industry PACs.
Poliquin’s campaign also touted that 30 percent of his money from the last period came from other Republican members of Congress. They span a wide ideological range, from Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, a member of leadership and the chamber’s highest-ranking Republican, to Louie Gohmert, a Texas firebrand.
After House Speaker John Boehner’s retirement announcement last month, Poliquin didn’t say who he’d back as the next speaker before House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the early favorite to replace Boehner, plunged the divided Republican caucus into chaos by dropping out of the race. Poliquin previously campaigned with both Boehner and McCarthy.
Jason Chaffetz of Utah, who is running for speaker, donated to Poliquin this cycle, as did at least eight members of the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative group that helped force Boehner out. Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio was among the Poliquin donors.
Cain relied mostly on individual contributions, getting nearly $31,000 from PACs and other committees, including $2,500 from a PAC linked to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California.
Other than his big loan, Baldacci relied almost solely on individual donors, getting $500 each from his brother, former Gov. John Baldacci, and Severin Beliveau, a lobbyist and Maine Democratic Party scion.