The campaign’s financial reports for the first quarter provide a glimpse into the third district’s race

Republican challengers are battling for funds to take on the six-time congressman

The 2022 primaries are roughly 16 months away, but the race among candidates in Washington’s Third Congressional District to set up a campaign war chest is well underway.

Republican candidates for the Third Congressional District recently attended a candidate forum on the battlefield. Here (from left to right) the candidates Joe Kent, Heidi St. John and Wadi Yakhour can be seen. Photo by Mike Schultz

Unsurprisingly, six-year-old Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler is a leader among Republicans. In the first quarterly submission to the Bundestag Electoral Commission on March 31, Herrera Beutler raised more than $ 637,000 in campaign contributions.

Heidi St. John, who lives on the battlefield, had the most campaign entries of the three Republican contenders for the seat at more than $ 130,000. Joe Kent, who lives in Yacolt, has raised over $ 64,000, and Vancouver-based Wadi Yakhour reported just over $ 9,500 in posts.

No Democratic challenger has emerged for the seat, although Republicans all believe the Democrats will invest heavily in winning the seat, as they did in the last two election cycles. For example, Herrera Beutler spent nearly $ 4.6 million in her 2020 campaign after spending just over $ 3 million in 2018. Herrera Beutler spent less than $ 2 million in each of Congressmen’s first four campaigns.

“The Democrat Congressional Committee and the Washington State Democrats have made southwest Washington a top destination and have spent millions trying to conquer it,” said Parker Truax, spokesman for the Herrera Beutler campaign.

Here’s a look at the campaign finances for all four Republican candidates in the running for the third congressional district:

Jaime Herrera Beutler

Congressman Jaime Herrera Beutler

In addition to a war chest, Truax believes the candidate who wins the next race for the seat in the third congressional district will need more than just money.

“It will cost more than money to keep this seat in Republican hands,” he said. “It will take someone who can turn to a majority coalition, which Jaime has proven in good and challenging election cycles. Southwest Washington is an independent region that values leaders like Jaime who are effective lawmakers and who are ready to stand up to political pressure to do what’s right for our community and this country. ”

Truax is confident Herrera Beutler is a proven fundraiser that he proved in her 13-point win in the last election (against Democratic challenger Carolyn Long).

“We’re off to a great start on this fundraising campaign and have no plans to take our foot off the gas for a second,” said Truax.

Heidi St. John

The St. John camp believes it is significant that it has overtaken the other challengers. In late February, St. John announced its candidacy to remove Herrera Beutler, who St. John believes has seen serious backlash across the district following its decision to sue President Trump.

“I am honored and deeply humbled by the financial support from across Southwest Washington,” said St. John. “It is clear that the residents of this district are joining me to save our country.”

The average donation from St. John is $ 116, which they believe highlights the large number of citizens who open their wallets to support their campaign.

“The Democrats on the left are working twice to carry out their socialist agenda,” said St. John. “They want to take away our weapons, open our borders, further undermine our public education system, implement state-run health and job-killing energy mandates and undermine electoral integrity. We, the people, must stop them by choosing brave conservatives who will fight back. It is time for us to defend the values that made this nation great. ”

Joe Kent

Kent raised some eyebrows at a recent candidate forum when he announced that he had borrowed $ 200,000 of his own money for his campaign. In addition to the $ 64,376 he raised minus his expenses, he has $ 250,000 in cash.

“We raised just over a quarter of a million dollars so we’re off to a pretty good start,” said Kent. “I gave the campaign a loan. My goal would be to be able to pay back someday if I win. But if I don’t, it’s a gamble and I can lose everything. The best I can do is put my money where my mouth is. This is not a career, it is not a hobby. I do everything for it. ”

Kent also warned voters not to misinterpret campaign boxes.

“I think Establishment Democrats and Establishment Republicans are pretty cheating on donors, especially Establishment Republicans,” Kent said. “Jaime will take the establishment money and then she will vote just like Carolyn Long. Jaime has been sitting on a fairly large war chest since the last election. She has money for the establishment too, so there is a lot of money behind keeping the establishment Republicans in office. ”

Wadi Yakhour

In addition to the $ 9,508 in contributions he’s raised, Yakhour has donated $ 25,000 of his own money to his campaign.

“Fundraising will be very critical in the summer, but with a year and a half to elementary school, my goal was never to have the biggest numbers in the first reporting period,” Yakhour said. “The more money a candidate initially collects, the more is expected to continue to collect each subsequent month. I am not going to rush into this crisis so early. ”

Yakhour is not convinced that the largest war chest will win the election.

“What we have learned in the past from candidates, including President Trump, is that you don’t have to raise the most money to win an election,” he said. “I’ve kept my expenses down and raised a comfortable amount that will allow me to move on to the next phase of the campaign. As I research new and innovative strategies to use for my campaigns and fundraisers, I have another year to build the base and gain the resources it will take to win this elementary school and I’m confident that we will get there. “