WASHINGTON -- It is the Tar Heel State’s top dollar congressional race. After Republican Robert Pittenger lost in the primary, Democrats believe they can flip the 9th District from red to blue.

  • Both candidates have raised nearly $4 million combined
  • Democrat Dan McCready has raised $2.7 million as of June 
  • Republican Mark Harris has about $900,000

All told, the top two candidates have raised more than $3.6 million combined.

Of that, Democrat Dan McCready has the lion’s share with about $2.7 million as of June 30, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. By comparison, Republican Mark Harris has has about $900,000.

But where is all that cash coming from?

“Donors on the left are still up in arms about the presidential election cycle, and really want to make change,” said Sheila Krumholz, the executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in campaigns.

Krumholz says in the 9th District, big donations from affluent individuals are leading the way.

For McCready, a big chunk of that money is from folks tied to the financial and legal industries. For Harris, it is ideological groups like the Conservative Club for Growth.

“The portion that small donors make up is still quite small, 5 or 6 percent for both McCready and Harris. Similarly, with PACs are not really playing a huge role proportionally,” Krumholz said.

So far, when it comes to big dollar donations, both candidates are seeing a majority of their campaign cash come from inside North Carolina: 62 percent for McCready compared with 88 percent for Harris, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

However, because the district could be a critical race in determining the balance of power in Congress, it is likely that money is not done pouring into this race. Krumholz says expect even more over the next few months as Democrats and Republicans duke it out for control of Congress.

“If it really is down to the wire, you may see a lot more money coming from outside, nominally independent Super-PACs and groups,” she said.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6. For a closer look at money in the district, click here.

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