U.S. Rep. Jared Golden significantly outraised former Rep. Bruce Poliquin in April and May, but the challenger had slightly more cash left ahead of a likely rematch in the 2nd Congressional District later this year.
Congressional candidates were required to file updated reports covering the period between April 1 and May 25 before midnight on Thursday. Fundraising provides some gauge of the resources that will be available to candidates down the stretch in a competitive election, although it does not account for the role of outside groups that are also likely to spend big on advertising in the purple district this year.
Golden raised more than $350,000 over the two-month period, according to his campaign, bringing his total fundraising this cycle to more than $3.1 million. The Democrat’s campaign had more than $1.8 million cash on hand as of May 25.
Poliquin’s campaign reported receiving just more than $150,000 in contributions during that time, bringing his total fundraising this cycle to just shy of $2.2 million. His campaign spent $96,000 and was left with $1.9 million cash on hand.
The former congressman first must get through a June 14 Republican primary in which he faces Liz Caruso, a Caratunk selectman and anti-Central Maine Power Co. corridor activist. Caruso raised little this cycle, with $11,000 in fundraising during the pre-primary period bringing her total haul to just over $36,000.
Golden is a top target for national Republicans in a district twice won by former President Donald Trump. Several early polls have put the sophomore congressman ahead of Poliquin in a head-to-head matchup, though a chunk of voters remain undecided.
The general election will use ranked-choice voting, as unenrolled candidate Tiffany Bond, a lawyer from Portland, also qualified for the ballot. It will be Bond’s second time running for Congress in the 2nd District after she brought in shy of 6 percent of the first round vote in the 2018 election won by Golden after a ranked-choice runoff with Poliquin.
