Democrat Parnell trails GOP foe in 5th District fundraising

Democrat Archie Parnell of Sumter trails his GOP opponent in fundraising but has more cash left to spend, according to finance reports filed in the race for South Carolina’s 5th District congressional seat.

Parnell had raised $763,327 through last month, including a $205,000 loan the former tax attorney for Goldman Sachs made to his campaign.

Parnell’s Republican opponent, former state Rep. Ralph Norman of York, reported raising $1.3 million through May, including $495,000 the Rock Hill developer took out for his campaign.

However, Parnell entered the run up to the June 20 general election with a slight advantage, reporting $246,000 left to spend. Norman reported having about $100,000 left to spend heading into June.

A recent Parnell poll showed Norman leading by 10 percentage points in the 5th District, which has been Republican since 2010. However, the race has been tightening, drawing money from the Republican and Democratic national congressional committees.

Parnell and Norman are vying for the congressional seat left vacant when U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-Indian Land, resigned to become President Donald Trump’s budget director.

This story was originally published June 9, 2017 at 10:01 AM with the headline "Democrat Parnell trails GOP foe in 5th District fundraising."