SEEKONK, Mass. (WPRI) — Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss raised over $460,000 during his first three months on Capitol Hill, as the first-term Democrat seeks to scare off potential challengers when he runs for re-election next year.

Auchincloss, who succeeded Joe Kennedy III in January, finished the quarter with about $850,000 in cash on hand, his spokesperson Matt Corridoni told 12 News. He said four out of five Auchincloss donors during the quarter were from Massachusetts.

“Congressman Auchincloss knows that Democrats will need to campaign hard in order to keep the House majority, and he will continue to fundraise effectively so that he can be a source of strength heading into the midterms,” Corridoni said in a statement.

Auchincloss, a 33-year-old former Newton city councilor, won last September’s crowded Democratic primary to succeed Kennedy in the 4th Congressional District. The district stretches from northern Fall River up through the Attleboros and Taunton into Newton and Brookline.

Auchincloss only needed 22% of the vote to defeat multiple primary opponents further to his left, most notably former Brookline Select Board member Jesse Mermell, who came in a close second with 21% of the vote. Just 2,000 votes separated the pair.

The closeness of the primary has put a target on Auchincloss’s back among some progressives. Since arriving in Washington the freshman lawmaker has been working assiduously to raise his profile and shore up his left flank, making multiple cable news appearances, attacking President Trump’s congressional allies and pushing to reduce the Pentagon budget.

It’s unclear what the borders of the 4th District will look like for next year’s election, since the upcoming release of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 count will also lead to a redrawing of political maps to account for population shifts. Auchincloss is the most junior of Massachusetts’ nine U.S. House members, all Democrats.

Julie Hall, a former Attleboro city councilor, was the Republican nominee against Auchincloss last November, receiving 39% of the vote. She has already filed to run again in 2022, and reported about $2,300 in her campaign account as of March 31, Federal Election Commission filings show.

Along with announcing his first-quarter fundraising numbers, Auchincloss’s campaign team on Tuesday rolled out a new video trumpeting what they see as his accomplishments over his first 100 days in office.