Sunday, April 15 marked the deadline for all Congressional candidates to submit their first quarter fundraising reports for the 2018 election cycle. As always, these reports provide us a glimpse into the strength of each candidate and the resources they will have on hand going into the May 22 primary election. Given that Georgia’s 6th and 7th Congressional districts are the most competitive in the state and top targets for the Democratic Party, it makes sense to check in now that we have a clearer sense of where the candidates stand. Below are the first quarter fundraising totals and cash on hand for the top contenders in each race.
6th:
Karen Handel (R) (i):
- Q1 raised: $369,585
- Cash on Hand: $792,123
Bobby Kaple (D):
- Q1 raised: $300,036 (including $110,000 in loans)
- Cash on Hand: $415,219
Kevin Abel (D):
- Q1 raised: $256,287 (including $100,000 in loans)
- Cash on Hand: $327,368
7th:
Rob Woodall (R) (i):
- Q1 raised: $154,974
- Cash on Hand: $472,195
Shane Hazel (R)
- Q1 raised: $15,024
- Cash on Hand: $10,379
Carolyn Bourdeaux (D):
- Q1 raised: $219,385
- Cash on Hand: $276,419
Ethan Pham (D):
- Q1 raised: $89,830 (including $10,000 in loans
- Cash on Hand: $139,639
David Kim:
- Q1 raised: 159,364 (including $120,000 in loans)
- Cash on Hand: $186,109
In the race for Georgia’s 6th District, where Congresswoman Handel narrowly beat Jon Ossoff in the 2017 special election, there is no clear Democratic frontrunner to take her on. Both Kaple and Abel have posted strong fundraising numbers and worked hard to prove their Democratic credentials. However, Handel has made it clear that she will not be taking her win last year for granted, and as the only Republican in the race, she already has the full support of the party behind her. With the current levels of apathy and disengagement with the Republican Party, she will have to fight hard to keep her eventual Democratic challenger from winning in November.
Surprisingly, the 7th District may be looking even more promising than the 6th this year. Congressman Woodall raised a fraction of what Handel raised, and despite plenty of support from the national party, failed to outraise one of the Democrats in the race, Georgia State Professor Carolyn Bourdeaux. Her first quarter fundraising was the strongest in either the 6th or the 7th district (not including loans), signifying a level of interest in the race that few would have expected even a year ago. Once the primary is settled, and if the eventual Democratic candidate can continue to develop this kind of momentum, the national party will almost certainly take notice as they try to retake control of the House in 2018. The 7th is a highly diverse county, and with the right resources, I believe the seat may have even greater potential to be flipped than the 6th.
Democrats have learned their lesson from the last few election cycles. We know that we can’t take any seat for granted, but now we also know that some long-ignored seats are more winnable than previously thought. President Trump has opened up many doors, thanks to his continual weakening of the Republican Party. Democrats just need to walk through them.
Disclosure: Johnson’s firm, Paramount Consulting Group, is currently consulting with the Carolyn 4 Congress campaign.
