Campaign finance reports for Maryland's 7th congressional district candidates were released at midnight. Registered Democrats are the majority in this district - and they had the highest fundraising numbers. But many were surprised to learn that the biggest fundraiser for this reporting period so far, is a political newcomer.
Out of the dozens of candidates vying to represent the 7th district on Capitol Hill, the candidate who raised the most is Michael Higginbotham, a University of Baltimore law professor. He raised more than $600,000 and has just over $200,000 on hand.
Former Congressman Kweisi Mfume raised just over $258,000 and has nearly the same amount as Higginbotham in his coffers.
The other top democratic fundraisers for the period reported were Saafir Rabb and Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, former chair of the Maryland Democratic Party and widow of the late Congressman Elijah Cummings.
Candidates were required to report their campaign finance records through January 15. Some candidates have had fundraising events since then, so those figures weren’t included in their reports.
Every day – and every dollar - counts in this crowded field as the candidates jockey to get the voters' attention.
