Democratic congressional candidate Emily Cain raised more than $385,000 in the first quarter of this year, lifting her fundraising total over $1 million in Maine’s northern 2nd District, but Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin is expected to maintain a sizable lead in cash on hand, officials said Monday.

Cain, whose fundraising is ahead of the pace of her 2014 campaign, has received contributions from more than 5,600 individual donors, and her report to be filed this week with the Federal Election Commission will show she has $785,000 cash on hand, her campaign said.

“Mainers are rallying behind my campaign because they want a leader who will put Maine jobs first, unlike Congressman Bruce Poliquin, who continues to do Wall Street’s bidding,” Cain said.

In the first quarter, about three-quarters of Cain’s donations were under $100, and the majority of her donations were from inside Maine, her campaign said. Her fundraising total grew to $1.17 million.

Poliquin still has a substantial funding edge. He had $1.5 million in cash on hand through the end of 2015, and updated numbers will become available later this week.

Cain lost to Poliquin by 5 percentage points in 2014, and Cain quickly announced her intent to run again. Democrat Joe Baldacci dropped out in the fundraising period, giving Cain a clear path to a rematch.

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The fundraising numbers indicate Poliquin will have a competitive opponent in a high-profile race that’s drawing national attention, said Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine.

“You’ve got a challenger here who’s going to have the resources it takes to run a very competitive race against an incumbent seeking his first re-election,” he said.

Poliquin hopes to maintain a $1 million cash advantage when his report is filed.

“He will need every penny as his opponent and her liberal out-of-state special interests have shown they will spare no cost attacking Congressman Poliquin,” said Brent Littlefield, Poliquin’s campaign strategist.

The odds of unseating a congressional incumbent are best after the first term, but it’s still a challenge. That’s especially true in Maine’s 2nd District, where no member of Congress has lost a re-election campaign in 100 years, Littlefield said.


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