John Bell, Democratic candidate for the House of Delegates’ 87th District, brought in a hefty amount of donations for a challenger. He raised $93,559 from January through March 31, and ended the quarter with $71,801 on hand.

Bell is challenging Republican Del. David Ramadan, who is serving his first term in the newly created district. Ramadan raised $26,699 in the first quarter. He started the year with $51,296 in his campaign coffers, however, and ended the first quarter with $42,326 on hand.

Bell, a South Riding resident, said he worked to start the campaign with a strong financial base, “because your ability to get your message out is largely about having good fundraising.”

“I’m very thankful to the people who have reached out and supported my campaign,” he added. “It shows a strong base support for the campaign going forward, and I think we’ll be able to run a great race.”