Wild raises $1.37 million in latest quarter, more than all GOP challengers combined • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Susan Wild (D-7th District) posted her strongest quarter of the cycle so far, while adding to her large cash advantage over the Republican candidates seeking to unseat her. 

According to new campaign finance documents, Wild’s campaign raised $1.37 million from the beginning of January to April 3, spending just under $295,000.

Wild’s previous high for this cycle was Q4, when she raised just over $640,000 from the beginning of October to the end of December in 2023. 

Wild, serving her third term in Congress, has now raised $3.54 million in the current election cycle to date. As of April 4, Wild’s campaign had $2.66 million cash on hand. 

Of the three Republican candidates vying for their party’s nomination for the Lehigh Valley-based seat, Kevin Dellicker once again led the way in the most recent filing and has the most cash on hand in the final weeks of the primary campaign. 

Dellicker, a military veteran who finished second for the GOP nomination for the same seat in 2022, raised $205,000 from the beginning of January to April 3. Of that, $35,000 was from a loan he gave to his campaign. His campaign spent just over $240,000 during this time period and had just under $170,000 on hand as of April 4.

State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh) raised just under $70,000 in the pre-primary filing and spent just under $90,000. Mackenzie’s campaign had just over $115,000 on hand as of last week. 

Maria Montero, an attorney, raised just over $65,000 in the pre-primary filing and spent just over $35,000 during that time period. Her campaign had just under $90,000 on hand as of April 4.

Former President Donald Trump will be visiting the district for a rally on Saturday. He has not endorsed a candidate in the race as of Thursday. During the 2020 race for the 7th Congressional district, Trump backed Lisa Scheller’s candidacy. Scheller earned the GOP nomination, but lost to Wild in the general election in 2020 and in 2022. 

Like previous cycles, national Republicans are targeting Wild this upcoming election, while national Democrats are attempting to keep the seat blue. 

The National Republican Congressional Campaign (NRCC) placed Wild on its initial list of 2024 seats to flip, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) identified Wild on its “vulnerable” incumbent list for this cycle.

The Cook Political Report, a national ratings outlet, rates the race for the 7th Congressional District as a “toss up,” while Inside Elections tagged the race as “tilt Democratic.”

The Pennsylvania primary election is April 23.

Originally published at penncapital-star.com,by John Cole