Christina Nolan, a former U.S. attorney for Vermont running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican, has raised $156,842 thus far in her campaign, a figure that leaves her well behind the candidate she is most likely to face in the general election.
After spending $55,295, Nolan had $101,546 in her campaign account as of March 31, according to a filing submitted last week to the Federal Election Commission.
Nolan formally announced her run in late February, but filed paperwork to do so in early January. She was taking donations as early as January 11, so the FEC reports reflect a little under three months of fundraising. It is not yet known how much U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., raised in that same period, but the figure he raised in the first six weeks of his campaign far outstrips Nolan’s total to date.
The deadline for federal candidates to submit fundraising filings covering January through March to the FEC is April 15. Nolan is the first Senate or congressional candidate to have submitted filings so far this quarter.
Welch, the front-runner in the Democratic Senate primary, had nearly $2.5 million in the bank at the close of 2021. He raised about $550,000 between announcing his candidacy on Nov. 22 and the end of the quarter on Dec. 31. At the time, he also transferred over a $2.1 million war chest from his House campaign account.
Nolan’s campaign declined an interview request but offered a written statement in which the candidate wrote that she was “overwhelmed by the generosity of Vermonters seeking change.”
“The special interest money will be on the side of my opponent, Congressman Peter Welch, because he votes 100 percent of the time with his party, but we have common sense and independent minded Vermonters on our side,” she said.
Brock Pierce, a wealthy cryptocurrency speculator and former child star who is running as an independent in the Senate race, has also technically raised more money than Nolan. But that cash does not likely signal much on-the-ground support from voters: It’s mostly from himself.
Nolan’s donors include several wealthy GOP notables, including Lenore Broughton ($5,800), a Burlington heiress who frequently funds conservative causes; real estate developers Angelo ($5,800) and James ($5,000) Pizzagalli; and Skip Vallee ($5,800), a former U.S. ambassador to Slovakia whose family owns the Maplefields gas station chain.
Smaller contributions came from other well-known conservative figures, including former Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie ($250), former George H.W. Bush-era acting U.S. Attorney George Terwilliger ($500) and former Gov. Jim Douglas’ chief of staff, Tim Hayward ($500).
Outside Vermont, country music star Kenny Chesney also gave $5,800.
If elected, Nolan would be the first woman and first openly gay person to represent Vermont in Washington. The Log Cabin Republicans, a national group that supports conservative LGBTQ+ politicians, also gave Nolan $1,000.
