New Hampshire’s Senate candidates have released their fundraising totals for the second quarter of the year.
The scattered Republican field posted lackluster numbers compared to the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Maggie Hassan.
Hassan raised $5.07 million in the second quarter of this year. Her campaign says she has about $7 million in the bank, boasting about its haul in a statement.
“It is the second quarter in a row that Sen. Hassan has outraised the entire Republican field combined — ensuring that Maggie for NH has the resources to continue to talk to Granite Staters in every community about Senator Hassan’s record of fighting for New Hampshire,” Hassan’s team wrote.
Hassan’s seat has been considered one of the most vulnerable Senate seats this election cycle. However, as New Hampshire’s Sep. 13 primary draws closer, the Republican field is still scattered, with five major GOP candidates and no clear frontrunner.
Chuck Morse, the Republican president of the New Hampshire Senate, raised $538,000 in the second quarter. Of that total, Morse contributed $100,000 personally to his campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
In the first quarter, Morse reported he raised $750,000. He currently has about $975,000 cash on hand.
“Since launching my campaign on Jan. 29 in a snowstorm, I’ve been humbled by the outpouring of support from across New Hampshire in my race for United States Senate,” Morse said in a statement.
Kevin Smith, former director of a conservative advocacy group and town manager of Londonderry, New Hampshire, raised nearly $318,000 in quarter two, according to his FEC filing. Smith currently has about $349,000 cash on hand.
“It’s clear that Kevin Smith has the momentum in this race,” said Smith’s campaign manager Seb Rougemont, per Manchester news outlet WMUR. “As we put our superior grassroots team to work in the weeks ahead, Granite State Republicans will continue to join our insurgent campaign to Save America from the destructive, socialist agenda of Joe Biden and Maggie Hassan.”
Don Bolduc, a retired Army general, raised about $84,000 this quarter, according to his FEC filing. Bolduc has about $65,000 cash on hand.
Bolduc is running “a true grassroots campaign focused on town hall meetings and retail gatherings,” said Bolduc campaign spokesperson Jimmy Thompson.
He added that Bolduc has the “strongest conservative grassroots support” and “remains well positioned to win September’s primary.”
“President Biden’s 36% approval rating in New Hampshire is creating a political undertow for Senator Hassan that no amount of money can overcome,” the Bolduc campaign representative said.
Meanwhile, two other GOP candidates with lower profiles actually raised more than their better-known primary contenders.
Bruce Fenton, a financier who has made millions from Bitcoin, reported raising $1.6 million in the second quarter, but only $21,000 of that sum came from donors, the rest coming out of Fenton’s own pocket.
Vikram Mansharamani, a finance expert and political outsider, reported the second highest quarter two haul at $830,000. Mansharamani personally contributed about $250,000 of that total.
“Since I announced that I was running at the end of April, I have been humbled by the support I am receiving. Granite Staters know we need to send a businessman to Washington, D.C., to clean up this mess,” Mansharamani said. “In just over two months, we have raised a remarkable amount of money. Our campaign is picking up momentum and the pace is accelerating.”
Hassan, 64, is finishing out her first term as senator. The initial GOP favorite to beat Hassan was New Hampshire’s current Gov. Chris Sununu, but he announced in November that he would not be running.