Delaware Liberal

A Not-So-Casual Stroll Through The Annual Campaign Finance Reports

Bethany Hall-Long’s statement is some kinda weird I hope somebody is investigating it.  She supposedly ‘raised’ $829K, an amazing amount.  However, when you go through the statement, you find that $540,000 of that was transferred from her other account, her Lt. Governor’s account.  Which raised over $440K this year.  Now I know that you can transfer from one account to another.  However,  this has the effect of enabling people to contribute to her Lt. Gov. account in 2023, then have the money transferred to her Gov. account, thus evading the campaign finance limits.  That can’t be legal, can it?  Not to mention that, according to her Lt. Gov. account, she kept upping her own contributions to $191K, then transferred it.  I’m not a forensic accountant, and I know that neither is the person BHL hired to do her phony ‘audit’. but I know financial trickery when I see it.  It’s about time for the AG to do something. Her entire campaign is based on evading the financial campaign laws.

Yep, Our PAL Val starts out the year with a massive war-chest of around $159K.  She’ll need all of it and then some to turn back the challenge of Kamela Smith in RD 15 and to get all of her Mindless Minions in the caucus reelected.

Is Karen Hartley-Nagle eating her way through her campaign contributions?  She raised $10,715, also lent her campaign $22K.  Ya just gotta check out those expenditures:

4 meals at the Bellevue Diner;  1 meal at the Metro Diner;  1 meal at Mrs. Robino’s;  5 meals (or something) at The Legend Restaurant & Bakery; A $443 tab at Appleby’s;  plus a $3652 tab at Carmen’s Kitchen.  Leaving her a year-end balance of about $13K, with that $22K in loan liability.  I can’t even…but at least she’s still eating.

In contrast, a pretty darn impressive report from Marcus Henry, who is running for NCC Executive against KHN.  $45K raised, plus $200K in loans.  Almost all donors from in-state.

Branden Fletcher’s campaign finance statement reads like you’d hope and expect a first time candidate’s statement to read.  Raised $15K. Spent $3500.  Prudent.  I’m calling it–he’s the next State Rep from RD 3.

As anticipated, Sarah McBride raised a bleepload of money for her congressional race.  Although the official federal numbers won’t be released until Jan. 31, her campaign spilled the beans–‘She closed the end of 2023 and Q4 with $1.23 million raised and over $850,000 on hand.’  Not gonna lie, I legit feel sorry for Eugene Young.

Holy Schnikeys!  John Carney has already raised over $111K for his Wilmington mayoral campaign.  I don’t know whether any of this money has been, or can be, transferred over from his gubernatorial account, but it’s all over save the coronation.

In contrast, Velda Jones-Potter has a closing balance of slightly over $21K at year’s end.  Even that’s misleading, though, as that balance includes over $19K in loans.  BTW, nice to know that David Grimaldi is still around as he ponied up $600.

The Kyle Evans Gay Lt. Governor campaign is looking like a juggernaut–$221K raised, $182K cash on hand.  Maybe BHL should offer to change places with her on the ticket?

Sherry Dorsey Walker, WTF?  OK, I’m confused. (Insert joke here).  Rep. Dorsey Walker has two committees–one is her committee for state rep, the other is her committee for Lt. Governor.  She has just posted both reports.  It looks to me that she’s included all the contributions she’s collected for her LG run in the report for her state rep committee. Started the year about $25K in the bank, raised a respectable (for Lt. G) $37K, and ended the year with over $45K in the bank.  If you bring up her report for her committee for Lt. Governor,  which was formed on Oct. 27, 2023, you’ll see zeroes across the board.  Zero starting balance, zero funds raised, zero expenditures. Look for amended reports in 3-2-1…

Nick Beard has raised about $26 K in her challenge to Michael Smith in RD 22.  I think that’s a great number.

Marty Rendon has raised $10,700 in his RD 14 bid, plus has lent the campaign $22,678.

Monica Shockley Porter has raised over $8500, a good number for a campaign that filed on July 28.  She’s challenging Bill Bush, so, well, here.  After all, she’s one of the best and brightest candidates running this year.

Tracey Miller, who is challenging Rep. Lyndon Yearick in RD 34, raised an encouraging $8600, and has spent prudently.  This is my darkhorse race of the year.

David Lamar Williams is the only donor to his quixotic campaign for Lt. Governor.

Serial Bloviator Colin Bonini hasn’t raised Dollar One for his campaign to be Register of Wills of Kent County.

Happy to see that Sen. Russ Huxtable raised over $38K this year, and has about $42 K in the bank.  His presumed R opponent Kim Hoey Stevenson has raised $6870, which doesn’t suck.

As you might expect, Kathy McGuiness’ campaign donated $300 to Bethany Hall-Long.

Anyone doubting that Rep. Minor-Brown is now a total captive of special interests should check out her report.  A total sell-out, befitting her leadership position.

Great to see former State Rep. David Bentz donating $600 to Marie Pinkney.  He is class all the way.

Everyone says that Ol’ Lumpy Carson ain’t runnin’ again.  Didn’t stop him from collecting almost $20K from the Special Interest Usual Suspects in 2023.  Perhaps he has a burning desire to expand his pickaninny collection…not to mention the $650 he donated to BHL.

Someone ought to take a look at James Taylor’s campaign report.  I did.  Instead of itemizing expenses, he listed $1975 in expenditures to–his campaign committee.  He also lists a shitload of loans to his campaign–otherwise he’d have a negative balance.   Looks hinky to me.

What’s Mike Houghton up to?  A big D fundraiser, strong supporter of both Carney and BHL.  Anyway, he’s filed something called PAC302.  Dumped in $60K of his own money.  Spent $15K on a polling firm that has done work for some Delaware D politicos.  Gee, you don’t suppose that the firm is behind the latest BHL push poll, do you? No, it couldn’t be the case. After all, PAC’s like this and candidates can’t collude, and BHL’s people put out a press release regarding the poll.

Looks like Kathy McGuiness has her own little PAC–Prescription For Change. She has played the role of a pharmacist in the past, get it?  One $500 contribution all year–from Kathy McGuiness. Oh, and she paid out $231.90 to herself. Perhaps the PAC was supposed to be called Prescription For Chump Change.

Somehow Michael Brown, who may or may not still be suing the City Of Wilmington for age discrimination (I submit it’s ‘incompetence discrimination’), has managed to plunge his campaign for NCC Council District 7 some $10,850.42 into debt.  Proving my point.

The FAKE Michael Smith (RD 21) really raised a bunch of money.  However, you won’t believe how little of it comes from Delaware.  A shitload of it from Cali.  You really ought to check it out.  Don’t think I’ve ever seen that large a proportion from (way) out of state.  Has about $25K on hand.

The REAL Michael Smith (RD 22) ended the year with about $41K in the bank.

Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro raised an impressive $98K.  Kinda makes you wonder if he is looking to run for something else moving forward.  BTW, looks like Roger Roy has moved to Naples FL.  I mean, why shouldn’t he?

Gotta move on.  Still waiting for a few reports.  Any updates will appear in the comments section.

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