Former U.S. Rep. Charles Djou, bidding to return to the job he held for seven months in 2010, announced Mondayhis campaign has raised $435,000 since launching his campaign in early April.
Meanwhile, state Rep. K. Mark Takai and Honolulu City Councilman Joey Manahan were among the first Democrats to report fundraising totals for the most recent quarter. Takai filed his report last week, saying the campaign raised $212,000 for the April-to-June quarter, while Manahan on Mondayreported $41,000 for the three-month period.
Their totals came out ahead of Tuesday’s deadline to file quarterly reports with the Federal Election Commission.
Djou, who is expected to win the GOP nomination, reported having $401,000 in cash on hand, and 88 percent of it had come from Hawaii donors. He noted that the total represents fewer than 90 days of campaigning.
Djou, who won a special election in 2010 to fill the remainder of the term vacated by Neil Abercrombie, who resigned to run for governor, before losing in the general election that year to Democratic U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, announced his campaign April 3.
"I think it shows the breadth and depth of support of my campaign, and it shows how strong and competitive our campaign is," Djou said.
Hanabusa is making a bid for the U.S. Senate, creating the vacancy in the 1st Congressional District (urban Honolulu).
Takai said 85 percent of the donations were from local donors, and the campaign still has $354,000 heading into the final weeks of the primary campaign. The campaign has raised $665,000 since Takai announced his candidacy in August, he said.
"With one month to go, we will continue to work hard to bring our message to all the people of Hawaii," Takai said. "Strong fundraising will enable me to communicate my vision of building an economy that includes everyone."
Manahan reported $18,000 in cash on hand, but the campaign carries about $8,000 in debt, according to the report. Manahan said fundraising has been difficult, noting the number of Democrats in the race, but his campaign continues to be aggressive in approaching voters.
"We’ve always run a grass-roots campaign," he said. "I’m very grateful for the supporters who did support us and who helped us by either donating their time or certainly their money."
Seven Democrats are vying for the seat. The others are state Sens. Will Espero and Donna Mercado Kim, Honolulu City Councilmen Ikaika Anderson and Stanley Chang, and human rights advocate Kathryn Xian.
