D.C. Delegate Fundraising Heats Up as the Race Gets Angry and Personal

The increasingly contentious race to succeed Eleanor Holmes Norton as the District of Columbia’s House delegate just keeps getting more expensive.

D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto maintained her financial frontrunner status heading into this month, as her campaign raised more than $407,000 from January through March, according to its latest report to the Federal Election Commission.

Fellow D.C. Councilmember Robert White’s campaign reported raising $184,033 during the same period.

And Kinney Zalesne, a former deputy national finance chair of the Democratic National Committee, reported raising around $123,000.

Pinto, White and Zalesne aren’t the only candidates competing to fill Norton’s seat, but they are the most well-financed. And while money isn’t everything, it’s an essential ingredient in the first race since the early 1990s that will result in someone other than Norton representing the District of Columbia as a nonvoting member of Congress.

Norton announced in January that she would not seek reelection amid questions about her health and mental acuity — a decision that ignited one of the most hotly contested primaries of the 2026 election cycle.

While Pinto has a commanding lead in fundraising, she’s absorbed significant criticism this week for her campaign’s decision to publish a 67-page opposition-research memo on White, which included his home address and information about his family.

White characterized the Pinto campaign’s posting of the report as “essentially a doxxing of me and my family” and said it “seriously crossed a line.” He also called on Pinto to drop out of the race, which she has not done and is not expected to do.

“You showed such a lack of judgment that not only should you never ever be in Congress but you shouldn’t represent us in D.C. in any way. This is beyond the pale,” White said. “I mean, everyone knows politics is dirty, but even dirty has a line, and oh my God you just flew past the line with no care or concern.”

Robert White, an at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia, who is running for D.C. delegate to Congress. Francis Chung/Politico via AP

Pinto’s campaign said in a statement that “campaigns should be run between candidates who put themselves out there to share their ideas, vision, and past record.” Rather than remove the opposition research entirely from Pinto’s website, there’s now an amended 56-page version of the memo in its place.

“While all information is available through any public search, we have removed all mention of my opponent’s family from our site,” Pinto’s campaign said. “Voters can see all information about Robert’s voting record on my website and decide for themselves who they want representing our city in Congress.”

Zalesne decried the “infighting” as “exactly what people hate about political campaigns and career politicians” — but didn’t miss an opportunity to take a swipe at her opponents in her statement.

“Was Pinto’s posting of White’s personal data malevolent or was it incompetent? Both answers feel disqualifying. Can White really fight against Trump on Capitol Hill when he and his Republican donors fought to bring the Trump Hotel to DC?” Zalesne wrote in a statement.

In a statement to NOTUS, Pinto, who reported Wednesday that her campaign had nearly $821,000 cash on hand at the end of March, said her campaign is “powered by supporters from every ward in the city.”

“We’re seeing unmatched momentum because DC residents want a champion on the Hill who can protect and explore new opportunities for our city — and they’re the reason we’re going to win this race,” Pinto said.

A NOTUS analysis of itemized contributions confirmed individuals from all eight wards donated to Pinto’s campaign last quarter — and found that less than half of the money donated to Pinto’s campaign last quarter came from within D.C.

A Pinto campaign spokesperson declined to comment on out-of-state donations.

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, left, Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Wizards NBA basketball team and Washington Capitals NHL hockey team, and District of Columbia Councilmember Brooke Pinto chat after an event announcing the start of work on a new Capital One Arena Gallery Place Atrium on Dec. 19, 2024, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

A majority of the money White’s campaign raised last quarter, on the other hand, has come from within the District, according to a NOTUS analysis of itemized contributions.

The White campaign also reported $73,488 in cash on hand at the end of March and $24,500 in debts and obligations, including $23,000 to Challengers LLC for political consulting.

A White campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest filing.

Zalesne’s campaign reported $466,584 in cash on hand at the end of March.

Of the $123,000 her campaign reported raising during the first quarter of the year, $35,000 came from Zalesne herself, which brings the total she’s loaned her campaign this cycle up to $85,000.

Zalesne called herself “the proud outsider in this race” in a statement to NOTUS.

“I was never going to be the candidate with the highest number in my FEC report. I’m not a career politician, and I am blown away by the financial support voters are sending in,” Zalesne said in a statement. “I’ve been able to build my campaign from the grassroots up because my supporters can see we need change, and that I’m the only candidate who has been regularly fighting for DC on the national stage and winning.”

While Pinto, White and Zalesne have raised the most money, they’re not the only candidates in the race.

Trent Holbrook, a longtime Norton staffer who made headlines in January when he launched his campaign after resigning from his role in her congressional office, raised $17,236. He loaned his campaign $15,000 of that total, according to his report.

Greg Jaczko, who served as chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission under then-President Barack Obama, reported raising nearly $90,000 during the first quarter of 2026, which his campaign ended with $84,758 in cash on hand. Of that total, Jaczko loaned his campaign $27,276.

Neither Holbrook nor Jaczko’s campaigns immediately responded to a request for comment.