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House members looking to join the Senate will have expensive races ahead of them. And while new fundraising reports show some in a strong position, others have some work to do.
More than a dozen current and former House members have already jumped into Senate races or are considering statewide runs. And the latest fundraising reports filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission show that several have sizable campaign accounts, while others spent most of their funds winning competitive races last year.
On average, these 16 current and former lawmakers had nearly $2.7 million in their campaign accounts as of Dec. 31, which they can transfer to their Senate campaigns. And many are strong fundraisers, raising an average of $6.6 million in the 2022 election cycle.
The latest reports foreshadow a particularly expensive race in California, where Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff have already launched campaigns even though Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has not yet said if she’s running for re-election. Porter had $7.4 million in the bank, while Schiff had a whopping $21 million.
Another strong fundraiser, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, could jump into the race. He reported $5.3 million in his campaign account. Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee, who is considering a run, lagged behind her fellow House members, reporting just $52,000 in her campaign account after raising nearly $2.2 million in the 2022 election cycle.
Some Michigan House members are also eyeing runs for their state’s open Senate seat. Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin had $128,000 in her campaign account after winning a hotly contested race last year, which was the most expensive House race in the country. Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell had $398,000 in her account, but she was not in a competitive race. In the 2022 election cycle, Slotkin raised more than $10 million while Dingell raised $1.6 million.
GOP Rep. John James and former GOP Rep. Peter Meijer are also considered potential Senate candidates in Michigan. James ended the year with $791,000 in his account after raising nearly $6.6 million, while Meijer had $105,000 on hand after raising $2.9 million.
Montana’s two GOP House members, Ryan Zinke and Matt Rosendale, are also considered potential Senate contenders. Zinke, who had a more competitive House race, had much less in his campaign account, reporting $107,000 to Rosendale’s $1.2 million.
The latest fundraising reports also provide an early look at other House members who recently launched Senate runs. In Arizona, Democratic rep. Ruben Gallego ended 2022 with nearly $1.3 million in his campaign account. And in Indiana, GOP Rep. Jim Banks’ campaign had $1.3 million on hand as of Dec. 31.
