Advertisement Shaheen prepares for reelection battle by raising $1.4 million in first quarter of 2019 Democrat seeking third term; Republican Sununu, O’Brien considering challenge Share Shares Copy Link Copy

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen raised $1.4 million in the first quarter of the year as she gears up her campaign for a third term on Capitol Hill, a campaign official said Tuesday.The Democratic former governor “raised more money than any other candidate in New Hampshire history” in the first quarter of the year before an election, according to the campaign.Shaheen announced in January that she will seek reelection in 2020, prompting intense speculation in political circles about who will challenge her on the Republican side. The name most often mentioned is Gov. Chris Sununu, who has not ruled out a possible challenge to Shaheen but has most GOP observers believing he’ll seek a third term as chief executive.Sununu has criticized harshly Shaheen in recent weeks, saying that recent polls showed that she was "very vulnerable." WMUR reported two weeks ago that he told high-ranking Republicans that he expects to come to a decision soon on whether to run for the Senate or another term as governor.Republican former New Hampshire House Speaker William O’Brien has expressed an interest in challenging Shaheen and, as WMUR has reported, has met with key Republicans in New Hampshire and in Washington, including Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who O’Brien backed for president in 2016.O'Brien has also met with Grover Norquist, founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, one of the nation’s most recognized anti-tax groups, as well as representatives of other groups who are vetting possible candidates on the Republican side.It’s unlikely, however, that O’Brien would run if Sununu decides to make the jump and run for the Senate rather than for a third term as governor.Shaheen, meanwhile, has been raising money both quietly and in public email appeals to supporters. Her fundraising numbers give her a head start over any Republican who may end up taking her on. Sununu would have to start fundraising from scratch for a U.S. Senate bid because funds left over in his gubernatorial reelection account are not directly transferable to a campaign for federal office. Sununu raised $1.65 million and spent $1.49 million in his successful reelection bid last year.According to the Shaheen campaign official, the campaign committee entered the second quarter on April 1 with $1.5 million in cash on hand. The official said 92 percent of Shaheen’s first quarter contributions were less than $100 and more than 8,600 individuals contributed to the campaign. "Sen. Shaheen has consistently worked across the aisle, delivering results for New Hampshire families, and her strong grassroots support shows that Granite Staters in every community are energized and excited for her reelection," Rachel Berger, Shaheen for Senate finance director, said in a prepared statement.While Shaheen’s campaign announced her quarterly and cash on hand totals, her campaign finance report, detailing contributions and expenditures, is not due to be filed until April 15.As part of the government spending bill signed into law last September, U.S. senators for the first time must file their campaign finance reports electronically with the Federal Election Commission, which posts the number on its website.Previously, senators were required only to mail or hand deliver paper copies of their campaign reports to the secretary of the U.S. Senate’s office and were given the option of also voluntarily filing electronically with the FEC.The FEC digitized the paper reports, but the process routinely resulted in Senate campaign finance reports not being available online for several days or weeks after the filing deadline.The change put the Senate on par with presidential and U.S. House campaigns, which have been required to file electronically with the FEC by the quarterly and other deadlines since 2001.Even before Shaheen announced her candidacy for a third term, she raised $1.67 million since being elected to a second term in 2014 – with $202,985 of the total raised in the fourth quarter of 2018. She entered the year reporting $467,428 in cash on hand.In the first quarter of 2013, the commensurate quarter to the just-concluded quarter, Shaheen raised $1.17 million and reported having $1.4 million in cash on hand.Following her successful 2014 reelection campaign against Republican Scott Brown, Shaheen’s campaign committee reported having raised and spent $15.6 million during that election cycle.