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Rothfus has about $200K on hand (Updated)

After pulling off a big primary upset in the 4th Congressional District, Republican Keith Rothfus has apparently rebuilt most of the campaign war chest he had.

Rothfus, an Edgeworth lawyer, will show more than $200,000 in the bank when campaign finance reports are filed this week, an adviser said. The adviser, Michael O’Connell, called that amount “not half bad for a campaign that finished a primary six weeks ago and is raising money in a very tough climate for all candidates.”

Rothfus had about $157,000 in campaign cash in the closing weeks before he beat former U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan in the May primary. He spent heavily at the end, and beat Buchanan, who was favored by party leaders, by a wide margin.

“When the sun came up on May 19, there was nothing in the bank,” O’Connell said.

Rothfus faces an uphill battle against Congressman Jason Altmire (D-4), who already had over $1.2 million in the bank a couple months ago. But O’Connell said the campaign isn’t concerned.

“The fact that an incumbent is better funded doesn’t surprise anyone, and it hasn’t for the past 50 years,” he said. The coming months, O’Connell added, will “send a message to the people of the district” about the seriousness of the Rothfus campaign.

UPDATE: In campaign finance data filed Monday, Rothfus reported raising almost $260,000 during the period. His campaign spent heavily in the closing days before the primary, and finished the period with about $201,000 in cash on hand. The campaign still owes about $162,000 in debt to the candidate for direct loans and in-kind expenditures.

July 12, 2010 at 12:33 pm

--Michael Macagnone

Tags: Jason Altmire, Keith Rothfus, PA-4

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