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Gov. Chris Christie, left, attracted more people to his fundraisers with Steve Lonegan, but U.S. Sen. Rand Paul pulled in bigger checks.

(File photos)

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul may be tussling over the future of the Republican Party, but in the very recent past, both have held fundraisers for U.S. Senate candidate Steve Lonegan.

And Paul pulled in more money.

Lonegan's campaign has released some financial details for each fundraiser, showing the New Jersey governor drew more people but the Kentucky senator commanded bigger checks.

Donors contributed nearly $59,100 at two fundraisers with Paul, an outspoken freshman senator popular with tea party conservatives and libertarians, which Lonegan hosted in a Clark banquet hall Sept. 13.

A pair of back-to-back fundraisers with Christie a week later netted about $41,000, Lonegan spokesman Will Gattenby told The Star-Ledger today.

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The Republican governor got more people to turn up at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township — but the tickets were cheaper. A VIP dinner with Christie cost donors $1,000 a seat, and 21 people went. Paul gave a "champagne brunch" for $2,600 a pop, the maximum campaign donation allowed by federal law, and 16 people paid up.

Christie and Paul, both potential GOP presidential candidates in 2016, also held separate events for Lonegan at $250 per ticket. The governor's reception drew "approximately 80 people" and the senator's "about 70," Gattenby said after each event.

That's as much information as Lonegan's campaign is releasing. "Our policy is not to release final numbers about finance events," Gattenby said.

Lonegan, a former Bogota mayor, has tried to mend fences with Christie this year after trading some vicious barbs when both competed for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2009. On the other hand, Lonegan says he'd like Paul to be one of his mentors if he wins the special U.S. Senate race against Newark Mayor Cory Booker — a fundraising force — on Oct. 16.

"That's actually a great showing for both of them," said Lonegan strategist Rick Shaftan. "Of course now, with the new data, it's been a great fundraising day. The phones have been ringing off the hook all day."

Shaftan was referring to a Quinnipiac University poll released today showing Booker ahead of Lonegan by 12 percentage points, the smallest margin in any poll since the race began in June. It showed Booker may not have the election in the bag as previous polls suggested.

Yet Booker has eclipsed Lonegan in the fundraising race, according to their latest filings with the Federal Election Commission, raising nearly $9 million to Lonegan's $320,000 as of July 24. The next financial disclosures are due Oct. 4.

RELATED COVERAGE

• Christie endorses Lonegan for U.S. Senate

• Rand Paul rallies Jersey conservatives, rakes in cash for Lonegan

• Deval Patrick stumps for Cory Booker, says Lonegan would join 'a band of radicals'

• Complete coverage of the 2013 special U.S. Senate election

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