The special election for Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill’s House seat is full of well-funded Democratic candidates – and former Army paratrooper Zach Beecher is now one of them.
Beecher, who launched his campaign at the beginning of this week, announced today that he raised more than $225,000 during his first 36 hours in the race, an impressive total that keeps him on pace with a number of more established politicians running for the 11th district.
“This is a campaign about bringing down costs for working families, bringing down the cost of healthcare for working families,” Beecher said in a statement. “I could not be more thankful for everyone who believes in our mission and who wants to fight side-by-side with us for the families of New Jersey. We are just getting started.”
It will be a little while before the next 11th district fundraising deadline arrives – the date of the special election hasn’t even been set yet – making it difficult to make direct financial comparisons among the contenders. Plenty of candidates, though, have released at least some information about their fundraising thus far.
Three candidates were already in the race and actively raising money by the time the last quarter ended in October: Morris Township Committeeman/former Mayor Jeff Grayzel had raised $340,000 (some of which was self-funded), Obama administration alum Cammie Croft had raised $188,000, and activist Anna Lee Williams had raised $21,000.
Three other Democratic candidates who entered the race after that deadline announced their initial fundraising totals: 7th district Rep. Tom Malinowski raised more than $500,000, Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett (D-Wayne) raised more than $350,000, and former congressional staffer Marc Chaaban raised $104,000. The lone Republican running for the seat, Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, raised $107,000.
Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill (D-Montclair), Lieutenant Gov. Tahesha Way, Maplewood Committeeman/former Mayor Dean Dafis, and Chatham Borough Councilman Justin Strickland have not yet released any fundraising numbers. Still other candidates are considering entering the race, with the Democratic primary set to arrive in late January or early February.