The State Financial Reports reveal the state of the race
The 30 day primary financial reporting deadline for state candidates facing a primary election just passed. You can view the reports here by entering the last name of the candidate in the highlighted “committee name” field. The reporting period is not quarterly like it is in federal races. Instead it is from the beginning of the year until August 14.
Here are the state-wide state primary races of note:
Some observations.
Who was loaned Lacey Lafferty over $86,546? And what in God’s name has she spent it on? I sense perhaps another Christine O’Donnell situation here.
Money is certainly not everything. Races, especially local races, can be won on the ground. State-wide races, a little less so. This fundraising tells me that the LG race is a two woman race between the Republican McGuiness and State Senator Bethany Hall Long, with Ciro Poppitti coming in third, Eaby and Fuller tying for fourth, and Sherry Dorsey Walker coming in last.
Kathy McGuiness’ list of financial supporters reads like Charlie Copeland’s Rolodex. ABC, the anti-union Right to Work Association of Builders and Contractors, donated $1,200.00. Seriously, Pete Schwartzkopf needs to be run out of town on the rails for foisting this Utahn Republican on us.
While Kathy outraised Bethany over the reporting period, Bethany has more cash on hand for the final stretch.
Karen Weldin Stewart and Trini Navarro seem locked in a close race financially. Hopefully that turns out to be true vote wise as well.
Now for the Mayor’s race. Some of these numbers are down right embarrassing, on both sides. Purzycki raised money like he was running for Governor (hmmmm). Eugene Young and Kevin Kelley raised money like they were running for Mayor. The rest, including the incumbent disaster of a Mayor, Dennis P. Williams, raised money like they were paying off a car loan.
The Mayor’s race is a local race where money may not mean much. But if it did, this is obviously a three way race between Young, Kelley and Purzycki. Each has roughly cash on hand figures in the mid to high 30,000s (My god, what did Purzycki spend $130,000 on? Signs?) Norman Griffiths has nearly $27k cash on hand, so he will be competitive down the stretch.
Theo Gregory, Maria Cabrera and Bobby Marshall? Thanks for playing. Time to leave.
I also find it interesting that there was/is a Republicans and Independents for Purzycki committee that raised nearly $14k. They could have just simply donated to the campaign itself.
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Lafferty loaned her campaign the money personally. It’s right there in the reports. And she’s been running pretty much nonstop for four years, so it’s to be expected that she’s spent a shitload. Again, all in the reports.
(By the way, congratulations and thanks to the Department of Elections for getting an incredibly improved campaign finance system online! This one is actually usable.)
SW, that answers the first part of my question (and loans in that amount are generally from yourself, like Lisa Blunt Rochester’s). I didn’t care to look too closely at expenditures part when I reviewed it the first time, but now I will.
And yes, the COE site is much better. It actually has been like that for the last couple cycles (since 2012 at least).
Fascinating that Kathy McGuinness takes money from ABC. She showed up to a handful of meetings at the Carpenters Local 626 over the last year when all the unions in the state were collaborating on how to defeat potential Right to Work legislation. She never stayed for much of the meeting, but would always hobknob with the blue collar guys, doing her politicking for Lt. Gov.
Very very interesting.
Well we knew Park City is a secret Republican, her agreements with union busters proves that yet again. She’s the only candidate I think would actually be actively dangerous to a progressive agenda if she were elected.
Also, note that some/many campaigns would already have spent the money on their final 30 days of mail–this is some turns paid for in advance. Looking at Purzycki’s report it’s possible that’s where a chunk of his cash went.
Chart needs correction . All of Marshalls money is a loan . No contributions
Eugene Young seems like he’s clearly running the best campaign. He’s out raised all of these people who have been running for office for decades. Small dollar donations. Not a lot of wasteful spending. 200 unpaid volunteers.
No filings from Hollins or Hartley-Nagle in the CP race? What gives?
Maybe they don;t regard themselves as being in primaries?
“Not everyone had to file before the deadline Tuesday at midnight. The ones who do not have primaries — that would be John Carney, the Democratic candidate for governor, and La Mar Gunn, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor — were exempt.” – Celia
Looks like Karen Three-Names (the sequel) filed this morning. How on earth does anyone give her money?!
I see Dennis the Menace raised more than Maria Cabrera — a staggering $146.80 more. Considering she polls at 2%, that can’t be good.
@SW, re: Lacey Lafferty:
She’s apparently going to do what Mike Protack did a few cycles back, spend her life savings on a hopeless shot at winning the lottery.
The good news: Once he shot his financial wad, Protack pretty much disappeared; he doesn’t even have enough money to make himself a nuisance anymore. As you can see, if Lafferty had to depend on donations she’d have trouble with the filing fee. After this election she’ll disappear.
@anonymous, That’s not necessarily true. Protack’s new “job” is commenting on News Journal articles and tying them all in to Kilpatrick, however implausible the connection is.
@703: I don’t read TNJ much, so I didn’t know. Good. That’s where people like him belong, railing at the sheeple from a bunker stocked with six months of nonperishable food supplies.
I see Dennis the Menace raised more than Maria Cabrera
And if you are at all familiar with Wilmington City government, you’ll see the names of plenty of employees who have contributed to Williams’ campaign. Which may not mean much, but I have it from a very good source that Williams’ Chief of Staff pulled the appointed into a room early this week (or late last) to tell them that $600 checks were expected from them.
I didn’t look, but I assumed his only donors were the people who owe him for their jobs. There will be no mutiny on the Titanic!
Maria Cabrera said she has her new police chief selected but won’t say who. He was an insider but now an outsider she says. Victor Ayala left as Inspector to go work for Chase Bank. And he donated 600 bucks to her, the max. Not hard to figure her new Chief if she wins the race (in her dreams)!
Kathy McGuiness was at union events begging for money in the Spring. Who gave Karen 3 names money. Can I ask for the direct link that shows this ?
After viewing Lafferty’s report there seems to more than a few discrepancies. There are donor name entries that are questionable. There are donations from a couple in excess of the $1,200.00 per couple allowed donation. There are expenditures that are questionable. How in the heck does a retired trooper with only 12 years service loan herself $86,000.+ ? The hypocrisy of a candidate claiming the democrats are fiscally irresponsible while loaning herself for an election she has no chance of winning is beyond ludicrous.
My guess is that she took out a home equity loan, but that is just a guess.
Just an fyi, couple max is 2,400 not 1,200. 1,200 is the limit per individual.