Mehta has just $17,712 banked

This article was updated with fundraising Flanagan’s fundraising figures at 9:06 p.m.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rik Mehta has just $17,712 in his war chest after a grueling primary for the chance to challenge U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-Newark).

Mehta raised $21,123 in the second quarter of 2020, bringing in just $2,239 between June 18 and June 30.

The new figures, revealed in July quarterly reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, bring Mehta’s fundraising total for the cycle to $395,879, though the vast majority of those funds came from a $315,000 loan the candidate made to his campaign.

The Mehta campaign’s debt totals $329,559.

Tricia Flanagan, who also sought the Republican nod, raised $6,523 in the second quarter. She had $5,101 banked on June 30.

Those figures put Mehta at a clear disadvantage in his bid for a seat Republicans last won in 1972.

Though his July quarterly reports have yet to be posted, Booker reported having just shy of $2.9 million banked on June 17. In his pre-primary report, which includes contributions made between April 1 and June 17, the incumbent reported raising roughly $1.6 million.

The above figures do not include independent expenditures made for or against either candidate, nor do they include spending by the candidates’ political action committees.