Roggio trails Gerlach in fundraising

Congressman Jim Gerlach, R-6th, has raised $355,000 in second quarter of 2008, bringing his campaign war chest to $1.8 million so far, the Jim Gerlach for Congress Committee has announced.

Gerlach, a three-term incumbent, continues to hold a significant fundraising lead over his Democratic opponent, Bob Roggio, according to PolitickerPA.com

Roggio raised almost $180,000 in the second quarter, according to the Web site.

From the Politicker.com Web site:

At the end of the quarter, Roggio had about $260,000 on hand while Gerlach had about $761,000. Already Gerlach has far outspent Roggio, shelling out $1.2 million to Roggio's $145,000.

The Gerlach camp is optimistic it will continue to raise money for his re-election bid:

"Congressman Gerlach is in a great position heading toward the general election. Our campaign has made several investments, including growing our low dollar fundraising base, revamping our Web site, adding two new staffers and beginning a cutting edge Internet advertising program that has helped add countless new supporters and been viewed over 1 million times," said Mark Campbell, political director. "The overall success of the campaign to date continues to show that voters know Jim Gerlach is an independent voice for southeastern Pennsylvania taxpayers, families and seniors."