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Rep.-elect John James, R-Mich., arrives at the Capitol on Nov. 14, 2022.
Rep.-elect John James, R-Mich., arrives at the Capitol on Nov. 14, 2022.Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images file

House Republican freshmen signal strong second-quarter fundraising

At least five first-term House Republicans have raised over $750,000 in the second quarter of the year.

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At least five first-term House Republicans will report that they each raised over three-quarters of a million dollars in the second quarter of the year, according to their campaigns marking strong starts ahead of tough campaigns for reelection next year.

One of them, Rep. John James of Michigan, told the Detroit News that his campaign raised over $1.1 million from April 1 through June 30.

Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. of New Jersey told the New Jersey Globe that he raised $860,000 in the second fundraising period of the year, with $1.5 million on hand going into the third quarter.

And Rep. Jen Kiggans of Virginia raised $750,000, Rep. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona raised $815,000 and Rep. Mike Lawler raised $900,000 in the same period, according to campaign press releases and social media posts.

Seven other first-term GOP lawmakers in competitive seats — Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon, Anthony D’Esposito of New York, John Duarte of California, Marc Molinaro of New York, Zach Nunn of Iowa, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and Brandon Williams of New York — each raised over $500,000 this cycle, according to the National Republican Congressional Committee.

On the Democratic side, fewer first-term House lawmakers have publicly announced their fundraising hauls.

Rep. Wiley Nickel of North Carolina announced raising over $500,000 in the second quarter, Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio said he raised more than $450,000 in the same period, Rep. Jeff Jackson of North Carolina said he raised $507,000 from April through June, Rep. Eric Sorensen of Illinois said he raised $515,000 in the second quarter, and Rep. Hillary Scholten of Michigan reported over $410,000 raised in that period.

All House, Senate and presidential campaigns have until midnight on Saturday to file their second-quarter fundraising numbers with the FEC, though some campaigns choose to announce details of their hauls ahead of time.

That means NBC News can't independently verify these numbers or compare a full picture of Democratic and Republican fundraising quite yet.

All five of the first-term GOP House lawmakers who posted over $750,000 raised in the second quarter are facing competitive elections next year. The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates Ciscomani and Kean Jr.'s races as "Toss Ups," and rates Kiggans' and James' races as "Lean Republican," but still competitive.

After the first quarter of this year, Republicans in "Toss Up" seats raised more on average than Democrats in competitive races, an NBC News analysis found.

Posting fundraising numbers this high this early in the cycle can be a sign of strength and momentum. And it tracks with fundraising numbers posted by Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and a major player in House races each cycle.

CLF announced that it raised $19.1 million in the first six months of the year and had $17.85 million cash on hand going into July. Combined with its affiliated nonprofit, American Action Network, the two groups raised $35 million combined between January and June.

CLF and AAN's Democratic counterparts, House Majority PAC and House Majority Forward, raised a combined $26 million in the same time frame, the Washington Post reports (it's unclear how much was raised by each individual group).

CORRECTION: The original version of this story misstated Rep. John James' second-quarter fundraising. He raised $1.1 million in the second quarter, not $2.6 million.