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Paying the cost to be the boss the average U.S. House seat in North Carolina costs about half-a-million bucks. To a great extent money matters more than messaging, and although the candidates’ positions and personalities have been widely reported on, here’s what hasn’t — their pocketbooks. Campaign finance reports were released by the North Carolina State Board of Elections on Feb. 20, providing the
first good look at how candidates have fared in their efforts to replace Mark Meadows as the next representative of North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District. Here’s what that looks like in eight handy lists that detail not only the bottom line, but also the involvement of PACs and superPACs, the extent to which candidates fund themselves through personal contributions or loans, their support by small donors, the amount of cash they still haven’t spent, and how that compares to every other congressional district in the state — for whatever it’s worth, which is a lot. All data cited in this story was taken from The Center for Responsive Politics, and is available on their website, www.opensecrets.org.
TOTAL RECEIPTS AND CASH ON HAND
SMALL-DOLLAR DONATIONS
SUPERPAC SPENDING
Total amount of campaign contributions and spending, reported by active candidates from Dec. 1, 2019 through Feb. 20, 2020
Total amount of reported donations to active candidates smaller than $200
Total amount of money spent by non-campaign sources to support candidates
CANDIDIATE RECEIPTS SPENT • Chuck Archerd (R) .............................$389,456..........$333,934 • Madison Cawthorn (R).......................$323,246..........$244,683 • Vance Patterson (R)...........................$146,100...........$38,915 • Lynda Bennett (R)..............................$133,828...........$56,261 • Moe Davis (D) ....................................$130,050...........$98,607 • Joey Osborne (R) ................................$100,000...........$75,755 • Jim Davis (R) .....................................$87,971............$48,563 • Steve Woodsmall (D)...........................$66,364............$58,908 • Wayne King (R) ...................................$55,115............$21,031 • Gina Collias (D) ..................................$50,092............$35,553 • Michael O’Shea (D).............................$16,637............$11,684 • Phillip Price (D)...................................$13,522............$12,993 • Albert Wiley Jr. (R)*..............................$1,802..............$1,802 • Dillon Gentry (R)*....................................$0.....................$0 *FEC report not received as of Feb. 21, 2020
CANDIDIATE RECEIPTS SMALL % • Moe Davis (D) ..............$130,050..........$89,268...........68.64% • Steve Woodsmall (D) ....$66,364...........$35,483...........53.47% • Phillip Price (D) ............$13,522............$4,822............35.66% • Gina Collias (D) ............$50,092...........$14,631...........29.21% • Michael O’Shea (D).......$16,637............$3,137............18.86% • Lynda Bennett (R)........$133,828..........$10,707............8.00% • Wayne King (R) .............$55,115............$4,165.............7.56% • Jim Davis (R) ...............$87,971............$4,171.............4.74% • Madison Cawthorn (R).$323,246...........$5,849.............1.81% • Chuck Archerd (R) .......$389,456 ............$906 ..............0.23% • Vance Patterson (R).....$146,100 ............$100 ..............0.07% • Joey Osborne (R)..........$100,000 ..............$0.................0.00% • Albert Wiley Jr. (R)* .......$1,802 ................$0.................0.00% • Dillon Gentry (R)*..............$0....................$0.................0.00% *FEC report not received as of Feb 21, 2020
SUPERPAC AMOUNT CANDIDATE • Senate Conservatives Fund.........$195,242 .........Lynda Bennett • House Freedom Action.................$355,822 .........Lynda Bennett • House Freedom Fund.....................$2,618 ...........Lynda Bennett • American Dental Association .......$58,976..............Jim Davis • With Honor...................................$360,822...........Dan Driscoll No spending by superPACs on behalf of any other candidate was reported.
NC’s 11th Congressional District race, by the numbers BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER here are plenty of arguments for getting money out of politics, but anybody who wants to get money out of politics must first have money to get into politics to get money out of politics. That’s the current state of pay-to-play congressional elections, where you need $100,000 just to say “Hello!” and
Smoky Mountain News
February 26-March 3, 2020
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CONTRIBUTIONS BY PACS Total amount of contributions reported by active candidates from political action committees CANDIDIATE RECEIPTS FROM PACS % • Lynda Bennett (R)........$133,828..........$10,849 ............8.11% • Jim Davis (R) ...............$87,971............$5,100 .............5.80% • Wayne King (R) .............$55,115 .............$250...............0.45% • Steve Woodsmall (D) ....$66,364 .............$250...............0.38% • Gina Collias (D) ............$50,092 ..............$20................0.04% No contributions from PACs were reported by any other candidate.
SELF-FUNDING
LARGE-DOLLAR DONATIONS
Total amount of contributions or loans made by active candidates to their own campaigns
Total amount of reported donations to active candidates larger than $200
CANDIDIATE RECEIPTS FROM SELF % • Joey Osborne (R)..........$100,000.........$100,000.........100.00% • Albert Wiley Jr. (R)* .......$1,802.............$1,802 ...........100.00% • Vance Patterson (R).....$146,100.........$146,000 ..........99.93% • Chuck Archerd (R) .......$389,456.........$355,000 ..........91.15% • Madison Cawthorn (R).$323,246.........$293,324 ..........90.74% • Lynda Bennett (R)........$133,828..........$81,740 ...........61.08% • Michael O’Shea (D).......$16,637...........$10,000 ...........60.11% • Jim Davis (R) ...............$87,971...........$25,100 ...........28.53% • Gina Collias (D) ............$50,092 .............$125...............0.25% • Steve Woodsmall (D) ....$66,364 ..............$20................0.03% • Moe Davis (D) ..............$130,050 ..............$0.................0.00% • Wayne King (R) .............$55,115 ...............$0.................0.00% • Phillip Price (D) ............$13,522 ...............$0.................0.00% • Dillon Gentry (R)*..............$0....................$0.................0.00% *FEC report not received as of Feb. 21, 2020 6
CANDIDIATE RECEIPTS LARGE % • Wayne King (R) .............$55,115...........$50,700...........91.99% • Gina Collias (D) ............$50,092...........$35,417...........70.70% • Phillip Price (D) ............$13,522............$8,750............64.71% • Jim Davis (R) ...............$87,971...........$53,600...........60.93% • Steve Woodsmall (D) ....$66,364...........$29,506...........44.46% • Moe Davis (D) ..............$130,050..........$40,782...........31.36% • Lynda Bennett (R)........$133,828..........$30,542...........22.82% • Michael O’Shea (D).......$16,637............$3,500............21.04% • Chuck Archerd (R) .......$389,456..........$33,550............8.61% • Madison Cawthorn (R).$323,246..........$24,073............7.45% • Vance Patterson (R).....$146,100 ..............$0.................0.00% • Joey Osborne (R)..........$100,000 ..............$0.................0.00% • Albert Wiley Jr. (R)* .......$1,802 ................$0.................0.00% • Dillon Gentry (R)*..............$0....................$0.................0.00% *FEC report not received as of Feb. 21, 2020
CASH ON HAND Total amount of cash remaining reported by active candidates as of Feb. 21.
CANDIDIATE RECEIPTS SPENT CASH ON HAND • Vance Patterson (R).....$146,100 .......$38,915 .......$105,445 • Madison Cawthorn (R).$323,246 ......$244,683 .......$78,563 • Lynda Bennett (R)........$133,828 .......$56,261 ........$77,566 • Chuck Archerd (R) .......$389,456 ......$333,934 .......$55,522 • Jim Davis (R)* ..............$87,971 ........$48,563 ........$39,408 • Wayne King (R) .............$55,115 ........$21,031 ........$34,084 • Moe Davis (D) ..............$130,050 .......$98,607 ........$30,698 • Joey Osborne (R)..........$100,000 .......$75,755 ........$24,245 • Gina Collias (D) ............$50,092 ........$35,553 ........$14,644 • Phillip Price (D) ............$13,522 ........$12,993 .........$5,595 • Michael O’Shea (D).......$16,637 ........$11,684 .........$4,953 • Steve Woodsmall (D) ....$66,364 ........$58,908 .........$4,878 • Albert Wiley Jr. (R)* .......$1,802...........$1,802 ..............$0 • Dillon Gentry (R)*..............$0..................$0..................$0 *FEC report not received as of Feb. 21, 2020
FUNDRAISING BY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Total amount of contributions to all candidates CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT TOTAL • 9th..........................................................................$2,910,836 • 8th..........................................................................$1,746,171 • 11th........................................................................$1,644,881 • 10th........................................................................$1,608,998 • 13th........................................................................$1,350,495 • 3rd..........................................................................$1,189,004 • 5th..........................................................................$1,181,062 • Average...................................................................$1,161,643 • 7th ...........................................................................$914,005 • 2nd...........................................................................$677,145 • 6th ...........................................................................$640,717 • 4th ...........................................................................$554,736 • 12th .........................................................................$439,348 • 1st............................................................................$397,275 • TOTAL.....................................................................$16,416,316
