POTS OF GOLD

For candidates seeking to take on an incumbent, or an open political seat, it takes a big ol’ pile of money – especially for anyone looking to unseat Congresswomen Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, western Oakland and Wayne counties) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Rochester, Rochester Hills, northern Oakland County, parts of Livingston and Ingham counties). Both incumbent freshman congresswomen, who flipped long-time Republican seats blue, are sitting on lots of bucks. Slotkin raised more than any other Michigan member of congress or congressional hopeful in the last quarter of 2019, raking in $1.15 million between October 1 and December 31, which gives her $3.064 million for 2019, with $2.875 million in the bank. Republican challenger Paul Junge is in Slotkin’s rear view mirror, having raised just $148,418 the same quarter – $129,500 from himself. Stevens raised a healthy $573,485 for the last quarter, for a total of $2.59 million for the year, with $2.073 million in the bank. Republican challengers Eric Esshaki raised $117,716 for the quarter, of which $50,000 was a personal loan, and Whittney Williams raised $57,023 in 2019, but only has $18,455 cash on hand. Congressman Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Township, Royal Oak, Huntington Woods, and parts of Macomb County) brought in $175,553 for the quarter, with $497,485 for the cycle, and has over $300,000 cash on hand. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Southfield, West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills, Detroit) raised $138,178 for the final quarter of 2019, bringing her to $546,639 for the year. Her campaign has $854,843 cash on hand.