Republican Dino Rossi continues to stockpile campaign cash in his race to succeed retiring GOP Congressman Dave Reichert in the high-stakes race for Washington’s 8th Congressional District.
The district — which includes parts of east King and Pierce counties and crosses the Cascade Mountains to Kittitas and Chelan counties — is considered one of the two dozen or so that will determine which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives after the 2018 midterms.
Rossi raised more than $2.8 million through the end of June and his campaign had more than $1.8 million cash on hand, according to new filings with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), which were due Sunday. He pulled in nearly $850,000 in the second quarter.
A former Sammamish state senator — best known for his three unsuccessful bids for statewide office — Rossi faces only little-known GOP rivals in the Aug. 7 primary. Democrats, meanwhile, are locked in what appears to be a three-way primary battle.
Sammamish pediatrician Kim Schrier maintained her lead among Democrats in fundraising, with more than $1.5 million raised, the new FEC reports show. She raised about $460,000 in the second quarter and her campaign reported $940,000 cash on hand through June.
Attorney Jason Rittereiser, who has been playing up his Ellensburg roots, has raised more than $845,000, including $250,000 in the second quarter, with about $380,000 cash on hand.
Shannon Hader, a former federal public-health official and Auburn native, reports raising about $825,000, but more than half of that comes from personal loans of $420,000 to her own campaign. Leaving aside her own contribution, Hader raised about $110,000 in the second quarter. Her campaign reported about $550,000 cash on hand through June.
Ballots for the top-two primary are due to be mailed to voters at the end of this week.