Chris Smith has strong 1st quarter fundraising

Rep. Christopher Smith (R-Hamilton), the lone Republican in the New Jersey congressional delegation, raised $236,494 during the first three months of his 20th term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He has $212,194 cash-on-hand, according to a report filed Monday evening with the Federal Election Commission.  Smith reported raising $35,980 from individuals and $78,100 from PACs.

Smith’s fundraising for the first quarter of 2019 is way ahead of the $65,277 he raised during the first three months of 2017.

Democrats thought they had a shot at beating Smith last year when Democrat Josh Welle raised $1.8 million, the often underestimated Smith raised $1.5 million and won by 12 percentage points.  

After Smith, then 27-years-old,  ousted thirteen-term incumbent Frank Thompson in 1980, the Almanac of American Politics said he would turn out to be “a one-term Congressman.”  Now Smith is the lone Republican in the twelve-member New Jersey House delegation.