Peters the top fundraiser in LD8

Assemblyman Ryan Peters outraised Assemblyman Joe Howarth by a 7-1 margin in the contest for the Republican nod in the eighth legislative district over the last few weeks, according to 11-day pre-primary reports filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.

Peters, the top raiser on the Republican side, reported raising $42,822 since filing his 29-day report and finished the same with $57,167 in his war chest. He’s raised $135,108 in total for the race.

Stanfield’s recent fundraising lagged behind that of her running mate, but she raised $26,216 since filing her 29-day report. She has $29,825 on hand. She’s raised $50,604 since entering the race.

Howarth, who is mounting an off-the-line bid after losing party support over a belief, held by the district’s Republicans, that he attempted to switch parties, reported raising just $9,850 in recent weeks. Still, he’s raised $86,560 over the duration of the race.

He goes into the final days of the primary with $11,162.53 in cash reserves.

The 11-day pre-primary report for Jason Huf, a fourth Republican candidate seeking the nomination, has not yet been posted.

These numbers reflect where the primary campaign spending was last week and does not include expenditures or fundraising after Memorial Day weekend.

The district’s county-backed Democratic candidates trailed the three Republicans whose fundraising figures are available.

A joint fundraising committee for Gina LaPlaca and Mark Natale reported raising $8,253.52 over recent weeks, bringing their total raised to $20,503.52.

They reported having $15,541.51 on hand.

The two spent just $193.71 on campaign expenses, though they also reported making $4,581.52 in in-kind contributions over the period.