Democrats far outraise GOP in Washington's hottest House race

Zoom in: Through Oct. 16, Gluesenkamp Perez had raised about $10.5 million this election cycle — more than double the roughly $4.1 million raised by Kent, per Thursday's Federal Election Commission filings.

• That's counting donations made directly to the candidates' campaigns, as well as to the candidates' joint fundraising committees, which are tied to the Republican and Democratic parties.

The big picture: Nationwide, Democrats running in battleground House districts outpaced their Republican opponents in fundraising between July and September, an Axios analysis found.

Between the lines: Several sources in both parties pointed to Vice President Harris replacing President Biden atop the Democratic ticket in July, shortly into the third quarter, as a critical driver of Democratic donor excitement in recent months.

Yes, but: As Republicans were quick to point out, Democrats' average cash advantage going into October was far narrower than their fundraising margin.

• That is thanks to several fundraising quarters earlier this cycle in which Republicans brought in far more campaign cash than Democrats.

What we're watching: Outside groups are also buying independent ads to influence voters, including in Washington's 3rd.