It’s no surprise that incumbent Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) and Rep. Peter Welch (D) have war chests that dwarf those of their challengers, but the scale of these discrepancies is striking.
Sanders has raised over 200 times more than his Republican challenger, John MacGovern, and he has 830 times as much money on hand. (Sanders has raised nearly $6.5 million and has $4 million in cash on hand; MacGovern has raised just under $30,000 and spent $25,000.)
In the race for Vermont’s single House seat, Welch has raised just over $900,000 while Republican challenger Mark Donka remains under the $5,000 mark.
Both candidates for Senate received the bulk of their contributions from out-of-state sources, which is typical of Senate races in sparsely populated states. Incumbents generally net a higher percentage of funds from out of state, but in this case, MacGovern actually has a higher ratio of out-of-state to in-state contributions than Sanders— 88 percent of his funds come from outside Vermont, compared to 84 percent for Sanders.
Among MacGovern’s out-of-state supporters was Donald Rumsfeld, who donated $1,000 to his campaign in April.
A significantly larger portion of Sanders’ coffers is comprised of contributions of $200 or less — 57 percent for Sanders compared to 18 percent for MacGovern.
Neither MacGovern nor Donka seem to be dwelling on their fundraising disadvantage. In an interview with the Burlington Free Press, Donka anticipated that as much as $100,000 could still come his way from Republican groups, though he did not identify specific entities and the Vermont Republican Party has yet to commit direct funds to Donka.
Welch has spent well over $500,000 this cycle, and with carry over unspent funds from past campaigns, he sits comfortably on about $1.3 million in cash. His top five contributors, all of whom have given approximately $10,000, are Mentor Network (a national group of local health and human services providers for people with disabilities), American Crystal Sugar, American Postal Workers Union, Burton Snowboards, and Deloitte LLP.
Welch sits on the House Agriculture Committee, which plays a role in determining federal subsidies for sugar growers, and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which monitors the postal service. Burton Snowboards is a Vermont-based company, and its owners, Jake and Donna Carpenter are among Vermont’s most prominent political donors. Welch has received over $60,000 from either PACS or individuals in the following sectors: labor ($110,000 total), health ($82,400), and agribusiness ($61,882).
Sanders has strong support from labor as well. He has received more than $250,000 from the sector. (To put this figure in perspective, the defense sector has ponied up a meager $750 on the senator’s behalf.) His top five contributors are United Steelworkers, American Association for Justice (an organization representing plaintiff lawyers), American Federation of Teachers, American Crystal Sugar, and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, all of which have given approximately $10,000. Sanders serves on Senate committees on the Budget, Energy and Natural Resources, Environment and Public Works, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and Veterans’ Affairs.
