Fundraising over the past year in the Democratic primary for state comptroller can be summed up in three words: shock and awe.
The two contenders, state Del. Brooke E. Lierman of Baltimore City and Bowie Mayor Timothy J. Adams, brought in record amounts of money for this down-ballot statewide race. She raised $1,736,469 and he collected $2,142,040, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Maryland State Board of Elections this week.
Both spent about the same: He laid out $540,621 and she spent $552,764. And as of Jan. 12, they had a similar amount of cash on hand: $1,854,548 for him and $1,771,997 for her.
But their paths for arriving at rough financial parity five months before the June 28 Democratic primary — and a general election showdown for one of them with Harford County Executive Barry Glassman (R) — could not have been more different.
