Congressman John Olver is going into the election with a large cash-on-hand advantage over Republican challenger Nathan Bech, according to the candidates' 3rd Quarter Federal Election Commission reports.

[img_assist|nid=153|title=U.S. Rep. John Olver (D-Amherst)|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=147|height=180]Olver, an Amherst Democrat, raked in $98,000 in the 3rd Quarter and finished with $157,000 in his bank account. Bech finished the quarter having raised $17,000 and having just $8,600 in his campaign coffer.

Bech has also loaned his campaign nearly $63,000 during this election cycle and has yet to pay himself back.

Olver spent more than $137,000 during the quarter, most of which went toward a media buy. He paid a Washington, D.C., media shop nearly $31,000 to produce ads and spent $76,000 purchasing airtime for them.

Debra Guachione, Olver's campaign manager, told PolitickerMA.com the money was spent producing radio and TV ads. The TV ads, she said, are scheduled to begin airing this week and the radio ads are scheduled to hit the airwaves next week.

Bech has not spent any money on television or radio ads, according to his report. His largest expenditure was $2,000 to "Mass Consulting" for consulting services.

In terms of fundraising, Bech relied entirely on contributions from individuals. Most notably, he received $1,000 from Andrew Card, President George W. Bush's former chief of staff.

Olver received $38,000 from individuals and another $60,000 from PACs. Some of those PACs fall under the umbrella of the House Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies, which Olver chairs. Among those contributions, Honeywell International's PAC contributed $5,000 to Olver's war chest, as did the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's PAC. The National Association of Realtor's PAC also contributed $3,000 to Olver.