Longtime Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank has given his re-election campaign $200,000 as he faces his toughest race in years. A campaign finance report filed Tuesday showed that Frank, the chairman of the powerful House Financial Services committee, lent himself the money Tuesday. Frank, a 15-term lawmaker from Newton, Mass., raised $316,644 last quarter and reported more than $1 million on hand with no debts.
His campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The chairman is facing one of his toughest fights in recent memory against Republican Sean Bielat, a 35-year-old Marine veteran with degrees from Georgetown, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. Republican Sen. Scott Brown won Frank’s congressional district, which President Barack Obama carried in 2008. Bielat has zeroed in on Frank’s service atop the financial services committee, indicating that the Democrat had a hand in the financial turmoil over the last few years.
Frank had former President Bill Clinton campaign for him earlier this fall.
A longtime public servant, Frank isn’t exactly a rich man. Financial disclosures filed with the House show he has assets between $560,000 and $1.5 million. He is not required to disclose the worth of his primary residence.
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