NEWBURYPORT — Republican challenger Richard Tisei beat out seven-term incumbent U.S. Rep. John Tierney in the fundraising match-up last fiscal quarter, raising $230,000 more from individual donors than his Democrat opponent.
Tierney, D-Salem, raised $160,129 last quarter, of which $89,200 came from political action committees representing unions, trade organizations and local politicians. The remainder, $70,840, was contributed by individual donors.
Tisei, however, raised the bulk of his campaign funds — $300,940 — from individual donors. The remaining amount, $600, came from political action committees from local candidates, including Rep. Brad Jones, R-North Reading.
"John Tierney has been entrenched in Washington for a long, long time. That's why most of his financial support is coming from his friends there and not from Massachusetts. This is just one more sign that it's time for him to retire," Tisei, of Lynnfield, said in a statement. "Too bad for John Tierney that Washington lobbyists don't get to vote in our congressional elections."
Within Greater Newburyport, Tierney raised close to three times more than Tisei. Tierney received $4,450 from 10 donors compared to Tisei, who received $1,500 from two donors.
The numbers are small compared to the total amount raised, but there are still nine months until the election.
"John (Tierney) continues to receive widespread support from across the district and will have the resources necessary to run and win in November," Tierney spokeswoman Kathryn Prael said. "He remains committed to meeting with local families across our community and continuing his efforts to create jobs and revive our economy."
Tierney still has slightly more than twice as much money in his campaign account than Tisei. The incumbent had $545,600 cash on hand at the end of 2011, compared to his challenger's $256,390.
Tisei's early fundraising success aside, he received a boost last month when Boxford lawyer Bill Hudak, a Republican, dropped out of the race. Hudak ran unsuccessfully against Tierney in 2010.
Without a Republican challenger, Tisei won't have to worry about a primary fight and can keep his energy and money focused squarely on Tierney.
In a statement Wednesday, Tisei criticized Tierney for the amount of donations he received from politicians and political action committees. According to the filings, Tierney received about $89,000 of his donations last quarter from political committees.
Tierney, who is a member of the powerful House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, received substantial support from postal worker unions. The postal service falls under the oversight committee.
He has received donations from the American Postal Workers Union AFL-CIO, the National Association of Postal Supervisors PAC, Postal Mail Handlers Union, National Association of Postmasters and National Rural Letter Carriers Association.
Tierney is also a ranking member of the National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations, a subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. It's a position that has meant that defense-related companies such as Textron, General Electric and BAE have also given money to Tierney.
Staff writer Jesse Roman contributed to this report.
Local donors
Rep. John Tierney
William F. Callahan, Seabrook, $1,000
Theodore Van Nahl, Amesbury, $750
Kathleen A. Pasquina, West Newbury, $600
Michael Sandberg, Newburyport, $500
Sarah Warren, Newburyport, $500
Alexander W. White, Byfield, $300
Elizabeth Welch, Newbury, $250
Jack F. Bradshaw, Newburyport, $250
Thomas E. Jones, Newburyport, $250
Margaret K. McClure, West Newbury, $50
Richard Tisei
Lisa Gallagher, Newburyport, $1,000
Lenny Mirra, West Newbury, $500
Tierney's PAC Donations
American Postal Workers Union AFL-CIO, $10,000
National Postal Mail Handlers Union, $7,500
General Electric, $5,500
National Association of Postal Supervisors PAC, $5,000
Textron, $3,000
National Association of Postmasters, $2,000
National Rural Letter Carriers Association, $2,500
BAE System, $1,000
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