In the de facto GOP primary in the 3rd Congressional District—Southwestern Washington—state Rep. Jamie Herrera (R-18) has widened her fundraising lead over David Castillo, a financial adviser and the former chief of staff for the state GOP House Caucus.
The latest fundraising reports are in and Herrera has raised a total of $378,000, with $201,000 on hand. Castillo has raised a grand total of $245,000, with $68,000 on hand.
Both candidates want Tea Party votes. Of the two, Castillo initially seemed better positioned to line them up, given Herrera’s connection to high-ranking GOP officials. However, both candidates have establishment contributors: Castillo has taken money from Boeing, Microsoft, and Morgan Stanley, and Herrera has taken contributions from and Wells Fargo, a Republican PAC, Craig McCaw, and the Nordstrom family.
Castillo has more than twice as many donors—194 to Hererra’s 89.
On the Democratic side, Olympia insider Denny Heck has raised nearly $1 million, with $800,000 on hand. Of that, $350,000 is from Heck’s own pocket. His biggest contributor, in addition to online contributions through ACTBlue, are employees for the D.C. lobbying firm Denny Miller Associates, whose clients include Boeing, Everett, AT&T, the Muckleshoot Indian tribe, Pacific Science Center, and the University of Washington.
Denny Miller and its employees have given $11,900 to Heck.
