Susan Wild outraising Republican rivals in Lehigh Valley race for Congress. Here’s what latest reports show.

With a week remaining until Pennsylvania’s primary election, three Lehigh Valley Republican congressional candidates have raised a combined $305,000 to support their campaigns.

Trumping those figures, however, is nearly half a million dollars that one outside group spent independently to support Ryan Mackenzie’s candidacy.

The woman they hope to unseat in November, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, put up her best first quarter fundraising ever, with more than $1.3 million raised between January and March.

The huge amount of money raised and spent before the primary speaks to just how competitive the 7th District race is expected to be. It is considered a “toss-up” by election forecaster the Cook Political Report, and a “House race to watch” by the New York Times. The winner could determine which party controls the House of Representatives for the next two years as Republicans look to hold on to or expand their slim majority.

Required campaign finance reports show where the candidates’ money is coming from and how they are spending it, and give insight into the candidates’ campaigns.

Wild, running unopposed in the Democratic primary for her fourth term in Congress, raised more than her Republican opponents combined. FEC records show Wild raised nearly $1.4 million this quarter, with around $890,000 coming from individual donations, $143,000 from political action committees and $336,000 in transfers from other candidate committees via joint fundraisers.

Wild has billed herself as a moderate Democrat running on her record — she has prioritized efforts to lower health care and child care costs and authored several bipartisan pieces of legislation.

January through March was Wild’s best first quarter fundraising ever, according to a news release from her campaign.

“It’s no surprise that with less than a month to go before the primary, the Wild campaign is shattering fundraising records and ensuring whatever extreme candidate the opposition chooses to nominate will come into the general election at an enormous disadvantage,” Wild campaign spokesperson Natalie Gould said in a statement.

Notable donors include Lynda Resnick, co-owner of California-based the Wonderful Co.; Dave Hall, executive vice chair of Hallmark Cards’ board of directors; and Lynn and Stacy Schusterman of Schusterman Family Philanthropies, all of whom gave a $3,300 maximum donation.

Wild’s campaign also saw support from political action committees the American Federation of Teachers, United Steelworkers and Keystone America PAC, all of which gave a $5,000 donation.

Her campaign also reported around $685,000 in individual contributions funneled through joint fundraisers for groups of Democratic candidates. David and Susan Rockefeller, members of the prominent Rockefeller family, each gave $3,300 maximum donations to Wild’s campaign via joint fundraisers.

Her largest expenditures this quarter include around $54,014 in staff salaries, $26,000 on texting services and $32,000 on fundraising consulting.

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