BOSTON - With the Sept. 4 primary fast approaching, Lowell City Councilor Eileen Donoghue is infusing her congressional campaign with another $125,000 of her own money to pay for a TV ad blitz, in a bid to overtake front-runner Niki Tsongas.
The Donoghue loan was reported by the campaign to the Federal Election Commission yesterday. In March, Donoghue loaned her campaign $325,000. It brings to $450,000 the total Donoghue has loaned her campaign.
Donoghue is pouring more money into the race after endorsements yesterday from The Eagle-Tribune and The Lowell Sun, and their own polls showing the 5th Congressional District race is a two-person contest between her and Tsongas.
The money will allow the Donoghue campaign to run its first televised ads on Monday, Scott Ferson, a Donoghue spokesman, said.
"We always anticipated that there would get to a point where we would make a decision on television if things looked good, and they do," Ferson said.
As of last night, the Donoghue camp had not finalized the ads. It also has not made a decision about whether the ads will be on broadcast or cable television. However, broadcast television is costly and reaches viewers in Boston who cannot vote in the election.
Donoghue would be the fourth 5th Congressional District candidate on television.
On Tuesday, Tsongas launched a $300,000 ad campaign, her second of the race. Rep. Barry Finegold, D-Andover, and Dracut Republican Jim Ogonowski also are on television.
From the start, it was clear Donoghue brought personal wealth to the campaign. A lawyer whose husband works at investment bank Lehman Bros., Donoghue said she would not be outspent in a race she thinks she can win.
In April, Ferson said Donoghue would not surpass the $350,000 threshold. With the latest loan, she has. Niki Tsongas' campaign blasted Donoghue's move, saying Donoghue broke a promise.
"There needs to be a sense of trust between the voters and the candidates," said Katie Elbert, a Tsongas spokeswoman. "Having said two months ago that she would not put more personal money in her campaign, it looks like she's now breaking that trust."
Ferson shot back that Donoghue was forced to revise her plans because Tsongas has raised significant amounts of money from "Washington special interests ... from outside the district."
The Donoghue loan was reported by the campaign to the Federal Election Commission yesterday. In March, Donoghue loaned her campaign $325,000. It brings to $450,000 the total Donoghue has loaned her campaign.
Donoghue is pouring more money into the race after endorsements yesterday from The Eagle-Tribune and The Lowell Sun, and their own polls showing the 5th Congressional District race is a two-person contest between her and Tsongas.
The money will allow the Donoghue campaign to run its first televised ads on Monday, Scott Ferson, a Donoghue spokesman, said.
"We always anticipated that there would get to a point where we would make a decision on television if things looked good, and they do," Ferson said.
As of last night, the Donoghue camp had not finalized the ads. It also has not made a decision about whether the ads will be on broadcast or cable television. However, broadcast television is costly and reaches viewers in Boston who cannot vote in the election.
Donoghue would be the fourth 5th Congressional District candidate on television.
On Tuesday, Tsongas launched a $300,000 ad campaign, her second of the race. Rep. Barry Finegold, D-Andover, and Dracut Republican Jim Ogonowski also are on television.
From the start, it was clear Donoghue brought personal wealth to the campaign. A lawyer whose husband works at investment bank Lehman Bros., Donoghue said she would not be outspent in a race she thinks she can win.
In April, Ferson said Donoghue would not surpass the $350,000 threshold. With the latest loan, she has. Niki Tsongas' campaign blasted Donoghue's move, saying Donoghue broke a promise.
"There needs to be a sense of trust between the voters and the candidates," said Katie Elbert, a Tsongas spokeswoman. "Having said two months ago that she would not put more personal money in her campaign, it looks like she's now breaking that trust."
Ferson shot back that Donoghue was forced to revise her plans because Tsongas has raised significant amounts of money from "Washington special interests ... from outside the district."
Tsongas led all fundraising with more than $1 million as of June 30, the most recent reporting period. Finegold raised more than $700,000 during the same period. Also, Rep. James Eldridge, D-Acton, reported raising about $270,000 and Rep. James Miceli, D-Wilmington, took in $10,700.
Not including loans, Donoghue reported raising about $247,000, the second lowest total from individual donors.
Last night, Donoghue's rivals were still weighing the impact of the latest loan on the campaign, trying to figure out if the loan triggered a provision of federal law called the "millionaires amendment."
If tripped, it would allow the other Democratic candidates to raise three times the current $2,300 limit for individual donors - and, under certain circumstances, could increase fundraising limits for the Republican candidate in the general election.
If so, it could lead to a flurry of last-minute fundraising activity among some of the Democrats.
While the Donoghue camp expected only Eldridge and Miceli to be eligible for additional fundraising, the Tsongas and Finegold camps expect to return to their large donor bases.
Nairi Tashjian, a Finegold spokeswoman, said the campaign would return to its large fundraising base.
"Barry has had tremendous fundraising success and enjoys very broad support from a lot of different people," Tashjian said. "We expect that success to continue if the parameters change."
