The hosts of the other event for Mr. Gowdy are listed as the Independent Community Bankers of America PAC and the Mortgage Bankers of America PAC. On what he described as the coffee meet and greet events, Mr. Ramsey said, "I am sure there will be checks involved" but added that the events weren't major fundraisers.
But Mr. Gowdy, who upset the incumbent, Rep. Bob Inglis, in the Republican primary, isn't the only candidate raising cash inside the Beltway.
Republican and Democratic candidates alike are drawing big contributions by turning to donors in the Washington area, as well as New York City. In an analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, those two regions alone accounted for all of the top 10 most generous neighborhoods doling out cash for federal political campaigns.
The center reviewed federal contributions by region and found congressional campaigns, both incumbent and challenger, frequently stray far from their home districts in search of campaign cash.
According to the analysis, which did not cite Mr. Gowdy's campaign, out-of-state fundraising raises a question about whether it's political necessity in a tough economy or just an avenue for special interests to influence candidates.
Two of the biggest recipients of out-of-state campaign money are running against each other.
Republican Sharron Angle, hoping to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada, has raised almost three-fourths of her contributions from out of state. Mr. Reid took just more than three-fourths of his campaign war chest from outside of Nevada, records show. Neither campaign returned messages Thursday.
The Reid-Angle race is considered a tossup even though Mr. Reid has raised nearly $20 million compared with about $3.5 million for Ms. Angle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Ms. Angle was scheduled to raise more money this week in Washington at a fundraising event hosted by, among others, a lobbyist for the National Association of Wholesaler Distributors, according to party invitations obtained by the Sunlight Foundation.
Mr. Gowdy is the solicitor, or district attorney, for South Carolina's 7th Judicial Circuit. After winning the June 22 runoff election against Mr. Inglis, 71 percent to 29 percent, he will face Democrat Paul Corden, Constitution Party candidate Dave Edwards and Libertarian Rick Mahler in the general election.
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