Republican Robert Pittenger has done what few U.S. House candidates have ever accomplished: Break the $3 million mark in fundraising.

Pittenger faces Charlotte Democrat Jennifer Roberts in the 9th District after surviving a heated primary and runoff.

He has invested $2.2 million in his own campaign, according to new finance reports.

Only one House candidate in the country has dug deeper into their own pocket.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring 8th District, incumbent Democrat Larry Kissell and GOP challenger Richard Hudson each has raised $1.2 million.

Though Hudson outraised Kissell 2-1 between July and October, Kissell had more cash in the bank at the end of September.

The reports also show that Kissell and Roberts are campaigning with virtually no help from their national party.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this week canceled a final week of planned TV advertising for Kissell.

Last summer a spokesman said it had reserved $1.1 million of air time for him in the Charlotte market.

And the DCCC has done nothing for Roberts, who is running in the Republican-leaning 9th District.

The reports shed light on two of North Carolina’s most closely watched races.

The 9th District

Pittenger and Roberts, along with Libertarian Curtis Campbell, are vying to replace retiring GOP Rep. Sue Myrick in the district that includes parts of Mecklenburg, Iredell and Union counties.

No congressional candidate in North Carolina has raised as much as Pittenger. The real estate investor has loaned his campaign $305,000 in the quarter on top of the $1.9 million he gave his campaign in the primary.

“Robert’s own contributions clearly show that he’s not afraid to put his own hard work and money at stake to make certain the American dream doesn’t end with this generation,” said campaign spokesman Brian Mullis.

Individual donors

Pittenger raised $251,000 from individuals during the third quarter. Of that, $42,000 came from donors in southeast Charlotte’s 28211 ZIP code. In total, he’s raised more than $620,000 from individual donors.

Roberts has raised virtually all her money – $441,000 – from such donors.

“It shows what people who’ve been watching the campaign know,” she said Tuesday, “that I’ve been reaching out to individuals and including everybody in my campaign. He’s reaching into his deep pocket and special interests.”

She said the fact that the DCCC, which helps Democratic congressional candidates around the country, has done nothing for her campaign is a sign of her independence.

Asked about the race during a stop in Charlotte Tuesday, Democratic National Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said only, “You’ve got to talk to the DCCC.”

A DCCC spokeswoman declined to comment on the race.

The 8th District

Kissell, of Montgomery County, is running for a third term in a district redrawn by Republicans with the aim of getting him out.

The district stretches east from Charlotte to Robeson County.

Never a prolific fundraiser, Kissell has relied more on political action committee donations than individual contributions.

He’s raised nearly $800,000 from PACs representing corporate, labor and agricultural interests.

He’s done it with little help from the national party.

“There’s no clearer sign of Larry Kissell’s upward re-election battle than his fellow Democrats even giving up hope on him,” said Andrea Bozek, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “It speaks volumes.”

Kissell has been written off before. When he first ran in 2006, the national party backed another candidate in the primary.

“Folks have been saying that Larry can’t win since 2006,” said spokesman Christopher Schuler. “They spend 364 days writing his obituary and on that other day he gets elected and re-elected and works hard to represent the people of the 8th District.”

Hudson, a consultant who worked as an aide to former 8th District Rep. Robin Hayes and other lawmakers, has been heavily supported by so-called leadership PACs sponsored by House Republican leaders.

That’s one reason that among the four Charlotte-area candidates, Hudson raised the most individual donations – about $48,000 – from out of state between July and October.

That includes $15,500 from Washington.

However, he touts the fact that he raised more from individuals than PACs.

“Whether direct dollar contributions or large contributions of time, sweat and effort, folks across the district have joined our campaign,” he said in a statement. “They want to change the way business is done in Washington.”