CLEVELAND — Rep. Chris Van Hollen's campaign for Maryland's open Senate seat said Tuesday that it had raised $1.8 million in the second quarter of the year, triple the figure expected to be posted by Republican Del. Kathy Szeliga.
The Montgomery County Democrat, who is competing with Szeliga for the seat that will be left open next year by retiring Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, is expected to report having $566,000 in the bank. Szeliga aides said earlier this month that she raised more than $582,000 and had $254,000 on hand.
"Marylanders know Chris is focused on bringing people together to deliver real results for our state," Van Hollen spokeswoman Bridgett Frey said in a statement. "Chris's work to move Maryland forward stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump and the Republican Party, who offer more of the same divisiveness and dysfunction that has plagued Washington for too long."
Neither campaign's report has posted on the Federal Election Commission website, and so it's impossible to analyze the details under the top-line figures. However, the fact that Van Hollen has only about a third of the money he raised in the bank suggests he spent significantly in the final weeks of the Democratic primary against Rep. Donna F. Edwards.
Van Hollen had just under $1.8 million on hand at the close of the last reporting period, which fell about three weeks before the April 26 primary.