Republican national committeeman Mike Pompeo has raised about $253,000 since early April, primarily in large contributions from executives and their spouses.

State Sen. Dick Kelsey, R-Goddard, is largely self-funding his campaign so far, having lent his war chest $222,500 since announcing his candidacy in February.

In their quarterly reports, Pompeo reported cash on hand of about $233,000; Kelsey has $205,000.

A first-time candidate, Pompeo said he is “really happy with the way it’s gone so far.”

He said he has been out meeting people in the district and their “willingness to make a contribution is a demonstration of commitment to the Pompeo campaign.”

Kelsey, however, said it’s a matter of differing campaign philosophies.

“My strategy has been to organize the campaign and get the grass roots,” he said, adding that he plans to ramp up fund-raising in the current quarter.

“Our campaign will be adequately funded,” Kelsey said. “We will not lose this campaign because of lack of money.”

Democratic State Rep. Raj Goyle of Wichita announced his candidacy Saturday and did not have to file a quarterly report. Retired court service officer Robert Tillman also has announced his intent to seek the Democratic nomination but has not officially filed.

The 4th District congressional seat is open because Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, is running for Senate against 1st District Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays.

Pompeo, the president of the oilfield equipment firm Sentry International, has tapped deeply into the Wichita business community to build his campaign treasury.

According to his campaign filing, 66 contributors, mostly current or retired business executives and their wives, gave the maximum $2,400 contribution. Together, they accounted for $158,400, more than 60 percent of Pompeo’s contributions.

Another 51 people donated $1,000 each, making up 20 percent of Pompeo’s campaign chest.

Among the prominent names in the $2,400 donor list are Jeff Turner, president of Spirit Aerosystems; real estate executive Nestor Weigand, Intrust Bank President Charlie Chandler, investor/philanthropist Barry Downing and Jeff Johnson, president of Flint Hills National Golf Club.

Kelsey’s largest donation was $1,000 from Huck PAC, a conservative political action committee affiliated with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the Kansas Republican caucus when he ran for president last year.

Kelsey said that considering Pompeo’s business connections, it’s not surprising he was able to raise a lot from what Kelsey called “high dollar money people.”

“My appeal’s always been to the church crowd and average folks, the $100 and $200 contributors,” he said.

Pompeo said he thinks his donor list will broaden as he continues to campaign throughout the district. He said he expects to soon announce campaign chairpersons for each of the 11 counties that make up the 4th District.

And of Kelsey’s strategy of organizing first and fund-raising later, Pompeo said “We’re trying to accomplish both simultaneously.”

State Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick, decided not to run and endorsed Mike Pompeo, president of Sentry International, an oilfield and industrial machinery company, and a Republican national committeeman.

McGinn said she plans to focus on projects on her family’s farm and on local issues.

Pompeo and State Sen. Dick Kelsey, R-Goddard, are the only Republican candidates to file for the seat thus far.

Kelsey recently drew an endorsement from former Kansas republican gubernatorial candidate Dr. Ken Canfield.

Other names that have been floated for the Republican side of the race include state Rep. Steve Brunk, R-Bel Aire; state Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita; state Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, R-Independence; and Wichita businessman and entrepreneur Wink Hartman.

Pompeo is the second candidate to formally enter the race for the Kansas 4th District seat. State Sen. Dick Kelsey filed last month. Both are members of the party’s conservative wing.

A West Point graduate and former Army officer, Pompeo is president of Sentry International, an oilfield and industrial machinery company. He is a founding partner of the aviation subcontracting firm Thayer Aerospace.

A self-described “pro-life Republican,” Pompeo vowed in a statement announcing his candidacy to fight the Obama Administration, which he said “is promoting central planning and a larger government at the expense of future generations.”

Pompeo’s filing in the race was not unexpected. He signaled his intentions at the Republican Kansas Day event on Jan. 31, the same day that Tiahrt announced he would give up his House seat to run against 1st District Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays, for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Topeka.

Pompeo and Kelsey are the first two in what is expected to be a crowded Republican primary for the rare vacant House seat.

Other names that have surfaced as potentially in play include state Rep. Steve Brunk, R-Bel Aire; former Bush Administration political aide Matt Schlapp; Schlapp’s mother, Wichita City Council member Sue Schlapp; state Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita; state Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick; state Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, R-Independence and Wichita businessman and entrepreneur Wink Hartman.

On the Democratic side, state Rep. Raj Goyle of Wichita has been mentioned as a possible candidate, although he has made no announcements of his intentions.

Kelsey, R-Goddard, has tossed his hat in the ring for the 4th Congressional District. The seat’s current occupant, U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., who plans to run for governor.

Currently, Kelsey is the only official candidate for the seat.

Below is Huckabee’s endorsement message.

“I am proud to officially announce my endorsement of State Senator Dick Kelsey for the 4th Congressional District of Kansas.

“Senator Kelsey was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2004 and then elected to the Kansas State Senate in 2008. After his first term, he was elected Majority Caucus Chairman by his peers. I share in that confidence of his peers; Senator Kelsey has shown his leadership skills and has stood consistently by his Kansas values, our shared values, values that are in short supply in Congress these days.

“Dick believes that as a society we must protect life from conception to its natural conclusion. Dick believes in Limited Government and a Strong National Defense. Senator Kelsey also knows that hard work and small businesses are the backbone of our economy and that when we keep taxes low, we encourage them to flourish.

“Kansas is fortunate to have such a capable and proven leader in Dick. I am committed to doing all that I can to help make sure the people of the 4th Congressional District of Kansas have Dick as their next Representative. I hope you will join me in the fight for Kansas values, for conservative values, and support State Senator Dick Kelsey for the 4th Congressional District of Kansas. “