Money continues to pour into a hotly contested primary race for Maryland's 1st Congressional District, exceeding $1.5 million in the past four months on the Republican side of the race alone, according to campaign finance reports made available yesterday.
Campaign officials said yesterday that by the Feb. 12 primary, the total from the candidates and groups operating outside the confines of campaign finance laws will likely exceed $4 million, an extraordinary sum for any congressional primary and one of the most expensive of any House race this year.
The funds have financed costly and nasty TV, radio and print advertising campaigns that have blanketed much of the state, although the district encompasses only the Eastern Shore and parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Cecil and Harford counties.
In addition to direct campaigning by candidates, outside advocacy groups are flooding the airwaves and mailboxes. Those groups have announced $430,000 in ad buys this week alone.
State Sen. Andy Harris, a Navy reservist and anesthesiologist who has run as the most conservative Republican option to nine-term incumbent Wayne T. Gilchrest and state Sen. E.J. Pipkin, has raised the most of the three during this election cycle.
His campaign reported raising $562,000 from October until Jan. 23, the most recent reporting period, and nearly $1.1 million in total. He has about $361,000 on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission.
"Over 5,500 individuals believe Andy has the best message," said Harris' campaign manager, Chris Meekins. "It's evidence that Andy's conservative philosophy is resonating with individuals across the state and around the country."
Harris has also benefited from the support of the Club for Growth, a political action committee that advocates for conservative candidates.
The Club for Growth announced a $250,000 ad buy yesterday, bringing its total expenses to about $590,000 for the race, a spokeswoman said.
Gilchrest, armed for the first time in 15 years with funds from political action committees, raised more than $392,000 in the period, with a total of almost $575,000 in this cycle and a remaining campaign war chest of $424,000 as of Jan. 23.
"We feel like we have the funds we need to finish the job," said Tony Caligiuri, campaign manager and chief of staff to Gilchrest.
Caligiuri said the congressman, who is a former schoolteacher and Vietnam War veteran, chose to use PAC funding because he had no other choice.
"We've never faced a situation where we've had $1 million in special interest money swoop in and try to buy this seat," he said.
Pipkin has raised the least of the three major candidates, $52,000, but according to the finance reports, he has spent about $550,000 of his own money.
"E.J. has always said he was raised to put his money where his mouth is, and to back up what he had to say with his checkbook," said Mike Brown, his campaign chief. "When you're talking about the future of the taxpayers and the working people, really no amount of money is too high."
bradley.olson@baltsun.com