Donations have slowed for the congressional campaign of state Sen. Anthony Bouchard, R-Cheyenne, who brought in about $26,000 in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the latest Federal Election Commission reports.
Bouchard brought in $25,867 during the fourth quarter of the year, FEC reports showed. This was third in the congressional race, with incumbent U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney bringing in $2 million during the same period and Cheyenne attorney Harriet Hageman bringing in a little more than $443,000.
“There’s no doubt that out-of-state billionaires raising the bulk of my opponent’s money have changed the dynamics here in Wyoming,” Bouchard told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday. “I’ll do what I’ve been doing since being elected in 2016, and that’s continue to fight for the people, while staying the course in this campaign.”
After announcing his campaign to unseat Cheney, Bouchard brought in donations of six figures during the first two quarters of the campaign season.
However, following the revelation that Bouchard impregnated and married a teenager when he was younger, as well as Hageman’s entry into the race, donations slowed.
In the first quarter of the campaign, Bouchard raised $334,541. In the second, he saw a total of $213,327 in donations.
The third quarter saw Bouchard’s campaign donations fall by more than half, with $65,560 raised during that period. Bouchard actually came in fourth during this period, beat out by Cheney, Hageman and state Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Casper, who has since dropped out of the race.
Hageman entered the congressional race in September, with a glowing endorsement from former President Donald Trump quickly following. Cheyenne attorney Darin Smith and Gray both dropped out of the race following her campaign announcement.
However, Poley told Cowboy State Daily in the third quarter that Bouchard had no intention of dropping out of the race, despite the donation slowdown. In October, she said that he was focused on more pressing issues.
