Johnny Olszewski Jr. continued to put financial distance between himself and Republican opponent Kim Klacik in the race to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger for Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District.
With 16 weeks before the general election, the Democrat Olszewski reported having $231,195 on hand, according to his latest Federal Election Commission quarterly report. His campaign reported bringing in $277,484 between April 25 and June 30, after he resumed campaigning following the March 26 Key Bridge collapse. Overall, his campaign has raised $1.1 million since Olszewski announced his candidacy in February. Another report his campaign filed counting his donations between April 1 and April 24 reported a $104,000 donation haul during that time period.
Olszewski and Republican Klacik won their respective primaries on May 14. They will face off in the Nov. 5 general election to represent the 2nd District, which covers parts of Carroll County, Baltimore County, and Baltimore City.
Olszewski, a two-term Baltimore County executive, is considered the front-runner, boasting endorsements from Ruppersberger, House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones and U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer. The race has attracted a fraction of the attention and money poured into other races, like the Senate matchup between Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan. Klacik’s national profile has also diminished since 2020, when she appeared at the Republican National Convention and went viral after then-President Donald Trump promoted her campaign on social media.
Olszewski’s closest Democratic opponent, Del. Harry Bhandari of Baltimore County, reported having $33,000 on hand for the period ending June 30. His campaign reported taking in about $48,000 in the latest period, mostly from small donors. He also received a $999 donation from Del. Lesley Lopez of Montgomery County, who unsuccessfully ran for the 6th Congressional District, losing to April Delaney.
Klacik reported having just $14,000 on hand in her July 15 quarterly report, and raised $45,213 between April and Monday. The Middle River resident and radio host also reported carrying $202,000 of debt, according to her latest campaign report.
Her quarterly campaign report reflected a stark contrast from 2020, when she raised almost $7 million for her campaign against U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume. Despite losing handily to him, Klacik won Trump’s endorsement and spoke at the 2020 National Republican Convention.
This time, Klacik opted to stay in Baltimore to knock on potential voters’ doors instead of attending the 2024 convention in Milwaukee, according to her social media.
Klacik has raised about $82,000 in the 2024 election cycle so far, including $1,000 from the Republican Women of Baltimore County, $1,000 from Vince’s Crab House owner Brenda Mayer, and $1,041.82 from Joseph Pizza. Pizza, a New Jersey pharmaceutical executive and major Trump donor, is better known for falsely promoting hydroxychloroquine as a cure for coronavirus.
Klacik’s campaign spent around $45,000 this quarter, mostly on fundraising and paying legal and campaign consultants’ fees. She also spent $2,900 on travel, including $412 for chauffer services. Klacik said in an email the flights were to shoot a campaign ad on the U.S.-Mexico border.
