SPOKANE, Wash. – US House candidate Michael Baumgartner received over $400,000 in campaign contributions from January to March, compared to $17,500 raised by Jonathan Bingle over the same timeframe.
The 5th congressional district candidates have also spent their campaign money in diverging ways. Baumgartner spent $40,000 from Jan. to March. Bingle spent $12,000. Bingle had $5,000 in cash on hand on March 31, while Baumgartner had $360,000.
Bingle is also being out-fundraised by fellow Republican candidate Terri Kay Cooper, who secured $22,000 in campaign contributions from Feb. 29 to March 31.
Despite a modest campaign budget, Bingle is doing well with the Spokane County Republican Party. Bingle was given a 94% candidate ranking by the party this week according to The Spokesman Review. Cooper received 91.1% and Baumgartner took home 89.3%. Whether Bingle can harness his good standing with county Republicans to overcome a lower level of early campaign funding remains to be seen.
Current Federal Election Commission data does not contain itemized receipts of the candidate’s individual contributions as of April 16, so the composition of Baumgartner, Bingle and Cooper’s bases are still unclear.
