In the race for Rachel Kaprielian's state House seat, Jonathan Hecht has outraised Julia Fahey but his intra-party challenger has more cash on hand going into next Tuesday's primary, according to campaign finance reports.

[img_assist|nid=160|title=Jonathan Hecht|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=107|height=180]Hecht is locked in what many have said is a neck-and neck race with Julia Fahey for the Democratic nomination in Middlesex County's 29th District and their fundraising numbers reflect how tight the race is. Hecht raised nearly $43,000 since the beginning of the year while Fahey hauled in nearly $40,000.

Since the Watertown and Cambridge Democratic committees opted not to name a nominee when Kaprielian left her seat to head the Registry of Motor Vehicles, money and organization looks to play a pivotal role in this contest because it will be determined solely on sticker and write-in ballots.

Hecht has also spent more than Fahey, which means that Fahey has the cash advantage going into the race's final week. Hecht has spent nearly $35,000 while Fahey has used $28,000 of her war chest. That means that Fahey has more than $11,600 cash on hand compared to Hecht's $8,000.

Fahey, who worked for the National Association of [img_assist|nid=195|title=Julia Fahey|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=180|height=155]Government Employees before running, received some contributions from organized labor. Two Carpenters Union local chapters contributed a total of $800 to Fahey while different arms of her former employer chipped in $1,000. The Service Employees International Union, a brother organization to NAGE, also donated $500.

Hecht did not receive as many union contributions. He did, however, receive a contribution of $500 from the Massachusetts Pace Social Workers Political Action Committee. Otherwise, Hecht relied on individual contributions and a $10,000 loan he made to his campaign.

Both Fahey and Hecht primarily spent their money on campaign literature, mailings and office space but both did also hire consultants. Fahey paid $2,500 to the Evalesco Group and Hecht dished out $9,000 to the O'Neil Strategy Group.

Stephen Corbett, another Democratic candidate in the race, trailed behind Fahey and Hecht significantly. Corbett raised just less than $8,500 but spent $11,000, ending the period in debt.