BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Former state Sen. Russ Fulcher announced Monday that he has raised more than $153,000 since announcing his intent to run for the state’s open 1st Congressional District seat. Candidates for the U.S. House and Senate in
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Former state Sen. Russ Fulcher announced Monday that he has raised more than $153,000 since announcing his intent to run for the state’s open 1st Congressional District seat.
Candidates for the U.S. House and Senate in 2018 elections had a Monday deadline to file the latest quarterly campaign finance disclosures with the Federal Election Commission. In Idaho, however, the only competitive race currently is for the open House seat in the state’s solidly-conservative 1st Congressional District.
Fulcher raised $102,000 between July and September, according to the campaign. His FEC report was not immediately posted on the government’s website as of Monday afternoon.
“To me, it’s not about the amount. It’s about the person, who is willing give his or her hard-earned resources to stand beside me as we pursue greater opportunities by right-sizing the relationship between Idaho and the federal government,” Fulcher said in a prepared statement.
Opponent Luke Malek, a GOP state representative from Coeur d’Alene, raised $82,814 since filing to run for the seat in August. Campaign reports show he still had $75,486 as of the end of September.
Meanwhile, former Attorney General and former Lt. Gov. David Leroy raised roughly $31,000 in the same time frame. But he raised about $145,000 overall since announcing his candidacy in April. Leroy has spent $75,215, with $69,824 remaining in his war chest.
Finally, first-time Republican political candidate Michael Snyder raised $37,892, with $4,000 coming from a personal loan, according to the FEC quarterly report. The majority of Snyder’s contributions came from donors outside Idaho. That’s because while Snyder is not well-known among Idaho’s political leaders, he has developed a far-right religious following as an end-times author and guest speaker.
The 1st Congressional District seat has attracted a wide array of candidates ever since GOP U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador announced earlier this year he would leave Congress in 2018 to run for governor.
The last time there was an opening in the district was in 2006, which attracted a six-person GOP primary after then U.S. Rep. C.L. “Butch” Otter stepped down to run for governor. Six years prior, Otter won the open GOP primary in an eight-person race.
The district covers the northern half of the state and snakes down to the western part of the Treasure Valley, including parts of Boise.
Two Democratic candidates have filed for the seat, but they had not posted campaign finance reports as of Monday.
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This story has been updated to show Fulcher raised the most out of all four candidates, not Malek. A previous version was posted before Fulcher’s campaign report had been released.
