Schmid campaign staffing up

Stephanie Schmid is staffing up her congressional campaign.

The House candidate says she’s recruited a deputy campaign manager and a communications director and has an offer out to a finance director.

“We’re looking to staff up,” Schmid, a former congressional staffer, said. “I’m looking to hire a full team, and I’m really hopeful that there’re folks coming off of the New Jersey elections in November, Virginia and the presidential elections.”

Schmid is running in the fourth congressional district, where Rep. Chris Smith, the lone Republican member of the state’s congressional delegation, has served for decades.

Two other Democrats, lobbyist Tiffany Kaszuba and former journalist David Applefield, are vying for the nod to take on smith.

Schmid indicated that her early fundraising was strong but declined to give a specific figure.

“We’re pushing six figures,” Schmid said. “I hope to get there. If we don’t get there on Sept. 30th, we’ll get there on Oct. 5th.”

For a full quarter, those figures wouldn’t be terribly impressive, but Schmid entered the race in early September

Whatever her fundraising figures are, Schmid indicated that she’s not looking to spend all she raises in the primary.

“I think any candidate needs to spend the time and money appropriately on the primary process but also be looking towards the general election, particularly because our primary is so late,” Schmid said. “Given that Chris Smith has so much name recognition, it would be foolish to not be looking to the general before you have the nomination.”