More than two-thirds of the campaign money raised in the third quarter by the two major-party candidates for Congress from the 21st District came from outside the district.

Republican Elise Stefanik raised $700,000 and Democrat Aaron Woolf raised $800,000 from July through September, but only 30 percent of Stefanik’s contributions and 29 percent of Woolf’s donations came from inside the district.

That does not include expenditures for ads and other help from outside organizations, like the parties’ national campaign committees and other groups/

On top of that, about a quarter of Woolf’s contributions during the period came from the candidate himself, according to a report on North Country Public Radio.

Both campaigns endeavored to make the contribution totals into self-congratulation, claiming the numbers showed momentum on their side.

Monday morning, Stefanik’s campaign office announced that $700,000 had been donated to her effort from July through September, “the most ever raised in a single quarter by any candidate in the 21st District.”

The news release says it “shows broad support from North Country voters and across New York.”

Less than three hours later, Democrat Aaron Woolf’s campaign issued a press release announcing that his campaign had raised $800,000 during the period, “$100,000 more than Elise Stefanik.”

The campaigns listed:

• 1,397 total donors to Stefanik, 1,520 to Woolf

• 682 donors from New York State for Stefanik, 749 for Woolf

• 424 donors from inside District 21 for Stefanik, 440 for Woolf.

In Stefanik’s case, only about 30 percent of the number of donations came from inside District 21.

And only about 29 percent of Woolf’s donors were inside the 21st.

Both campaigns expressed pride at the numbers.

“The momentum of a campaign can be measured by the breadth and depth of its support, and todays result is an indicator that our campaign continues to grow,” Stefanik is quoted as saying in the release from her campaign.

“This quarter’s report is a strong indication that our momentum continues to build and will only get stronger heading into Election Day,” Woolf is quoted as saying, based on the money raised and the results of a recent survey showing him narrowing the gap between him and survey-leading Stefanik.

The distribution of donors, if not an issue by itself, is another indicator of the strength or weakness of support by potential voters in the 21st, since neither candidate called anyplace in the district home before the campaign started.

Stefanik moved north from Washington, D.C. to Willsboro in Essex County before current Rep. Bill Owens announced he was not going to seek reelection, and Woolf, from New York City, began calling Essex County’s Elizabethtown home after Owens’ announcement.

Going by the reported donations and the third quarter donor count, they appear to be fairly close, less than 10 percent apart. Stefanik’s average donation during the period was just over $501, and Woolf’s was just over $526, based on the numbers provided by the campaigns.

Donations – the actual amount of many raised inside and outside of the district -- could very easily turn out to be in larger proportion from outside the district than the number of people donating, considering the relative lack of wealth in the district.

But the amount of each donation and the identity of the donors have not been revealed by each campaign yet. The deadline to file complete reports for the quarter with the Federal Election Commission is Oct. 15.

Also in the race is Green Party candidate Matt Funiciello, a baker from Glens Falls.