A Closer Look at Chellie Pingree's Fundraising

Chellie Pingree has raised a staggering $ 1,359,666 for her congressional campaign, more than twice as much as her closest competitors for the 1st CD seat. How is this possible? Where is Chellie raising all of this money from? Well, an analysis of her FEC reports reveals some pretty startling information. Just take a look at this...

Top 10 States Contributing to Pingree Campaign

(Itemized Contributions as of 5/21/2008)

1. New York- $ 316,037.22 

2. Maine- $ 294,233.90

3. Connecticut- $ 97,725 

4. California- $ 81,150 

5. New Jersey- $ 48,825

6. Massachusetts- $ 44,350

7. Washington D.C.- $ 42,025

8. Pennsylvania- $ 23,250 

9. Virgin Islands- $ 23,000

10. Florida- $ 19,050 

*Contributions are itemized on a FEC report if the donor who is making the contribution has given $ 200 or more to the candidate

If your reaction was "I thought Chellie was running for office in Maine?" then you are not alone. Everyone knows that Chellie is a very connected person nationally, especially after her time as President of Common Cause, but who could possibly have expected her to have raised more from New York donors than Maine donors.

What if Chellie had not raised all this money from out of state? Well, interestingly, she would not even lead the pack in itemized contributions...

Money Raised from Maine Donors

(Itemized Contributions as of 5/21/2008)

1. Ethan Strimling- $ 334,297.12 

2. Chellie Pingree- $ 294,233.90

3. Adam Cote- $ 270,476

The dreaded FEC reports also show that Pingree has the highest percentage of out of state donations of any candidate in the 1st CD race. A whopping 73.1 % of her $ 1,095,270 in itemized contributions come from non-Maine based donors. In fact, the $ 801,037.22 she has raised from non-Maine donors beats the overall fundraising mark of Ethan Strimling, her closest competitor in the money race, by over $180,000. Here is the data that shows out of state contributions for the CD1 candidates:

Michael Brennan:

Out of State Donations- $ 45,585

Total Itemized Donations- $ 158,002

% From Outside of Maine- 28.9 %

Adam Cote:

Out of State Donations- $ 168,226

Total Itemized Donations- $ 438,702

% From Outside of Maine- 38.3 %

Chellie Pingree:

Out of State Donations- $ 801,037.22

Total Itemized Donations- $ 1,095,270.12

% From Outside of Maine- 73.1 %

Mark Lawrence:

Out of State Donations- $ 120,147

Total Itemized Donations- $ 357,780

% From Outside of Maine- 33.6 %

Ethan Strimling:

Out of State Donations- $ 176,260

Total Itemized Donations- $ 510,757.12

% From Outside of Maine- 34.5 %

Dean Scontras:

Out of State Donations- $ 118,100

Total Itemized Donations- $ 206,803

% From Outside of Maine- 57.1 %

Charlie Summers: 

Out of State Donations- $ 38,250

Total Itemized Donations- $ 152,642.85

% From Outside of Maine- 25.1 %

So, the next time you turn on the television and see a Chellie Pingree ad, just remember one thing.... the ad was probably paid for by out of state contributors.