Rep. Alma Adams has big financial edge over 12th District rivals

With Democratic incumbent Rep. Alma Adams getting more help from political action committees, her main rivals in the 12th Congressional District have had to reach deep into their own pockets.

New reports filed with the Federal Election Commission show Adams has raised more than $624,000, almost two-thirds of it from PACs representing business and labor groups as well as other members of Congress.

Former state Sen. Malcolm Graham, one of five Democratic challengers, loaned his campaign $25,000, helping him raise a total of $84,000.

State Rep. Tricia Cotham loaned her campaign $30,000. She raised nearly $77,000.

Gardenia Henley of Winston-Salem raised just over $10,000. No reports were available for Rick Miller of Guilford County or Rep. Carla Cunningham of Charlotte, who earlier had loaned her campaign $20,000.

With the 12th District redrawn to fall entirely within Mecklenburg County, Graham and Cotham have each hammered Adams over the residency issue. The longtime Greensboro resident says she moved to Charlotte last month and changed her voter registration.

A mailer from Graham says Adams “has no record of service in Mecklenburg County.”

And a Cotham mailer asks, “Why would we settle for someone from Greensboro representing us in Congress?”

Adams has said she has represented Mecklenburg and will continue to.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Rep. Alma Adams has big financial edge over 12th District rivals."