The Democratic candidates in the Massachusetts 1st Congressional District combined to spend $7.8 million on the September primary race.
According to recent filings, incumbent Richard Neal spent $5.7 million to beat Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse. Neal out-raised and out-spent the challenger by a more than 2-to-1 margin.
Campaign finance was an issue during this race. Morse hammered Neal for accepting a large number of donations from political action committees. He said the congressman was beholden to corporations and special interests as a result, which Neal denied.
"Do we want to get money out of politics?" Morse said to supporters during his concession speech. "I mean, do we want a democracy that is bought and paid for by corporations? Or a democracy that is paid for, and fueled by, everyday people here in our community?"
According to The Center for Responsive Politics, contributions from individuals accounted for more than 98% of Morse's campaign money. For Neal, that number was about 30%.
The center's data also said, dating back to 2019, Neal's top PAC contributors include those representing the insurance industry, health professionals, the pharmaceutical industry and electric utilities.
Neal isn't facing a challenge in November's general election. As of the end of September, he still had $2.2 million on hand. Morse's remaining balance was more than $78,000.
