WASHINGTON — Republican candidates vying for Oklahoma’s 5th District seat currently held by Rep. Kendra Horn (D-OK5), the sole Oklahoma Democrat in the House of Representatives, raised less money than the incumbent during the third quarter, according to reports filed to the Federal Election Commission.
Horn raised $524,733 last quarter, and she ended September with $1,195,088 cash on hand, out-raising the eight Republican candidates who are aiming to challenge her in the general election next year.
This story was reported by Gaylord News, a Washington reporting project of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma.
During the third quarter, which lasted from July 1 to September 30, Horn received $435,161 from individual donors. She also received $73,750 from political action committees, or PACs, according to the report.
Oklahoma State Senator Stephanie Bice (R-OKC), one of the candidates running in the Republican primary for the district, raised $168,350 and ended the third quarter with $217,092 cash on hand.
Bice raised $156,850 from individual donors and $11,500 from PACs.
Republican candidate Terry Neese led the primary candidates in fundraising during the second quarter, ending with $517,842 cash on hand. Neese continued this trend during the third quarter, raising $203,999 and ending with $642,677 cash on hand.
Individuals contributed $94,956 to the campaign, and PACs gave $9,000 to Neese, according to the report.
“Our campaign has the resources we need to take the fight directly to Kendra Horn in 2020—and we are just getting started,” said a statement released by Neese. “We will continue to work hard each and every day on the campaign trail to ensure we unseat Kendra Horn and help Republicans regain control of the House in 2020.”
Candidate Merideth VanSant ended the quarter with $28,796 cash on hand, raising $19,410 from July to the end of September. All of Vansant’s contributions came from individuals.
Former dentist and state schools superintendent Janet Barresi, however, entered the Republican primary race for the 5th Congressional District after the cutoff date to report campaign finances for the third quarter. Barresi is expected to self-fund much of her campaign.
Like Barresi, Oklahoma businessman David Hill announced his plans to run after the report cutoff date.
Other Republican candidates include Oakley Jacob and Daniel Belcher. The U.S. Federal Elections Commission currently has no information surrounding either candidates’ campaign fundraising.
Earlier this month, the Republican National Convention launched its Stop The Madness campaign, as part of a nationwide push to win back vulnerable Democratic seats in the House and Senate. The list included Horn as a target, as well as 62 other Democrats across the country.
The Republican and Democratic primaries will occur on June 30, 2020, while the general election will be held on November 3, 2020.
Other members of the Oklahoma delegation raised notable numbers this quarter, with Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) ending the quarter with over $2 million cash on hand, according to the report, furthering speculation that the 84-year-old may run for re-election. Inhofe has not announced if he plans to run in 2020.
The senator raised $530,040, more than any other Oklahoma delegate, during the third quarter. Individual contributions totaled $306,677, while $211,500 was raised from PACs.
Inhofe was elected for a fourth term in 2014, formally announcing his re-election campaign on August 7, 2013. While he has yet to announce if he will seek a fifth term in 2020, his quarterly fundraising numbers indicate that it is likely.
Freshman Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) raised $302,885 during the quarter, with $117,250 coming from PACs. He ended the quarter with $305,173 cash on hand.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) received $101,550, with over half of his contributions coming from PACs, and ended the quarter with $1.5 million cash on hand.
Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) ended the quarter with $378,988 cash on hand. He raised $258,622, with $150,000 coming from PACs.
At the end of the quarter, Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) had $388,737 cash on hand. Of the $79,110 he raised, over 80 percent came from PACs.
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) is not up for reelection until 2022, but he still raised $83,386 this quarter and has $716,335 cash on hand.
