Cartwright outraises Cummings big time

Matt Cartwright's congressional campaign committee reported $31,606 received between Oct. 1 and 17, more in those 17 days than the $29,731 his Republican opponent raised all year.

The campaign for Cartwright, a Democrat from Moosic who works as an attorney at the Munley, Munley & Cartwright law firm, has raised $845,693 this year.

The two are trying to win the 17th Congressional District seat held the past 20 years by U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, a St. Clair Democrat who Cartwright knocked off in the April 24 primary.

Cummings, an Old Forge resident who owns a home nursing company, reported raising $7,177 between Oct. 1 and 17 and only $5,300 of that was in cash. The rest were in-kind contributions. The two cash donors were U.S. Senate candidate Tom Smith, of Plumcreek Township, and his wife, who gave $5,000. Cummings received $300 from the Pennsylvania Republican Out Reach committee based in Bath. The rest of her contributions came from donations such as staffers paying for their own gas or campaign advertising.

Cummings, a Tea Party candidate, has maintained her campaign is a grassroots one and acknowledged she can't compete with Cartwright's contributions from attorneys and political action committees. This month reflected those predictions.

In the first 17 days of this month, Cartwright received 42 donations from individuals, 38 of them identifying themselves as attorneys. He also received four contributions from PACs, totaling $11,500.

The financial information was included in what are called pre-general election reports that candidates for federal office were required to file Thursday.

Cummings said she's not surprised by what Cartwright's been able to do financially and who's supporting him.

I knew attorneys would support him, they're the ones writing all the laws, she said, before adding the financial disparity between the campaigns is not a concern. She said people who look at the issues and where the candidates stand will vote for her.

The Cartwright campaign did not respond to a request for comment.