Who raised the most money in N.H.'s 1st Congressional District?
Who raised the most money in N.H.’s 1st Congressional District race?
Fund-raising data is a measuring rod of candidate’s viability and momentum. The newest quarterly numbers from those campaigning in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District.
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Public opinion polling isn’t the only way to quantify a political candidate’s relative viability and momentum. Fund-raising data offers another measuring rod. And the newest quarterly numbers from those campaigning in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District shed some fresh light on the crowded race.
The deadline for campaigns to report Q1 fundraising to the Federal Election Commission isn’t until April 15, so more granular detail is forthcoming. But some candidates shared a preview of what those numbers will look like, along with a healthy dose of spin.
To make the dense data more digestible — and in a nod to my Globe colleague Dan McGowan’s cake-themed metric in Rhode Island — I’ll share the latest figures and answer a ridiculous question: How much maple syrup could this campaign cash procure? (Ben’s Sugar Shack in Temple, N.H., advertises a 5-gallon pail of pure maple syrup for $285, so I’ll use that as my benchmark, though many sugar houses also bottle the sweet goodness in smaller quantities.)
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In the Democratic primary — where a six-way race has taken shape because Democratic incumbent Representative Chris Pappas opted to run for Senate rather than seek reelection — Stefany Shaheen has been leading the pack in terms of public opinion polling, but her opponent Maura Sullivan has raised the most money.
Sullivan raised more than $700,000 in Q1, according to Natalie Silver, her campaign manager. Counting what she raised in 2025, the campaign still has about $1.4 million cash on hand, Silver said. (Theoretically, that could buy more than 24,000 gallons of maple syrup.)
Shaheen raised more than $500,000 in Q1 and now has more than $1.1 million cash on hand, according to her campaign (19,000 gallons of maple syrup).
Silver said the cash race shows which candidates are equipped to build name recognition and make their case to voters ahead of the Sept. 8 primary, and Sullivan’s $200,000 lead in the latest quarter demonstrates she is holding her own against the Shaheen “political dynasty.”
Shaheen emphasized, meanwhile, that her list of contributors so far includes more than 2,600 people in New Hampshire. Her campaign manager, Emma Greenberg, said the campaign is “powered by thousands of Granite Staters who know she’ll fight tirelessly for them, the way moms fight for their kids.”
The other Democratic candidates:
Christian Urrutia announced he raised $235,000 in Q1, and a spokesperson said Urrutia will land just shy of $300,000 in cash on hand (more than 5,000 gallons of maple syrup). Urrutia’s campaign said he is distinguishing himself as the only candidate in the race who combines broad small-dollar support with a clear progressive economic message and political independence.
Carleigh Beriont announced she raised about $102,000 in Q1, and a spokesperson said she would finish the quarter with about $86,000 in cash on hand (more than 1,500 gallons of maple syrup). Her campaign said volunteers organized a silent auction that “embodied the spirit of the campaign.” It featured, among other things, a loaf of homemade bread that her husband baked, which sold for more than $1,000.
Sarah Chadzynski said her campaign raised roughly $30,000 in Q1 and would have about $20,000 left in cash on hand (350 gallons of maple syrup). Chadzynski said focusing on dollars raised reinforces existing patterns in campaign finance. She expressed anticipation for upcoming polling numbers.
Heath Howard, who enjoyed a recent polling bump, didn’t respond to requests for his Q1 fundraising data. As of Dec. 31, his campaign had raised just shy of $20,000, according to his FEC reporting (350 gallons of the good stuff).
In the Republican primary:
Anthony DiLorenzo, a businessman whose campaign launch prompted a would-be opponent to bow out of the race pre-emptively, didn’t release his Q1 fundraising data. As of Dec. 31, his campaign had $690,000 cash on hand ( more than 12,100 gallons of maple syrup), according to FEC data.
Hollie Noveletsky, who finished second in the GOP primary two years ago, raised more than $180,000 in Q1, according to adviser Isaac Hadam, who said the campaign has “heavy grassroots support.” As of Dec. 31, her campaign had $227,000 cash on hand (nearly 4,000 gallons of syrup), according to FEC data.
Brian Cole, a current state representative, raised nearly $110,000 in Q1, according to his campaign. As of Dec. 31, his campaign reportedly had nearly $163,000 in cash on hand (nearly 2,900 gallons), according to FEC data. Cole said he has “true grassroots momentum” and is pleased with the progress he’s made.
Melissa Bailey didn’t respond to requests for her Q1 fundraising data. As of Dec. 31, her campaign had about $169,000 cash on hand (nearly 3,000 gallons), according to FEC data.
While these numbers offer a sense of how each campaign is building a war chest to win, it’s important to remember outside groups also often spend big on high-profile races to influence voter sentiment, so the money that candidates raise is only part of the picture.
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Steven Porter can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @reporterporter.