The district, which runs through Burlington and Ocean Counties and includes Cherry Hill in Camden County, was in Republican hands for more than a century until Adler won it in 2008's national Democratic sweep.
This year, most analysts expect Republicans to gain ground and count Adler's seat among the 80 in play in the House. The GOP needs to take 39 seats to get a majority in the House.
Adler has been a prodigious fund-raiser. As of June 30, when the second-quarter reporting period closed, he had $1.9 million in cash on hand compared with Runyan's $472,000.
Runyan took in more money than Adler in the quarter: $504,000 compared with Adler's $421,000. But Adler's forces noted that much of it was from Runyan's own pocket.
Money plays a critical role in whether the candidates get help from their national party committees and other big-givers. The party committees protect incumbents and bet on races they think their candidate can win.
As of May 31, the date of the most recent report, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was ahead with $29 million in cash compared with the National Republican Congressional Committee's $12 million, according to their latest reports. That means Republicans have less money to spread around than Democrats do.
"Jon Runyan has not raised the kind of money that would bring about the recognition and support of national party leaders," said Brigid Harrison, a political scientist from Montclair State University.
Analysts had "expected his friends in professional football and his business contacts would step up to the plate and give generously, and we have not seen that happen," Harrison said. "When that occurs, the national party has a tendency to set its sights on more viable candidates."
