The first weekly campaign finance filings ahead of November’s election show Democrats raising more money with more individual donors in at least three key statewide races.
While Republicans are maintaining fundraising leads in the race for governor, secretary of state and lieutenant governor, Democrats raised more money than their Republican opponents in the races for attorney general, chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and state auditor.
Even in the gubernatorial race between Republican Gov. Kay Ivey and her Democratic challenger, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, Maddox had more individual donors — 399 to Ivey’s 138. In fact, Democrats had more individual donors in the six major statewide races except in the campaigns for lieutenant governor. Republicans do have more cash on hand, in most of the statewide races, providing them more of a war chest as the election nears.
The most notable development in the key statewide races is in the race for attorney general. Democratic candidate Joe Siegelman, the son of Alabama’s last Democratic governor, Don Siegelman, outraised Republican Attorney General Steve Marshall.
Siegelman reported raising $101,609 between Oct. 1 and Oct. 12, beating Marshall’s reported cash contributions amounting to $81,125. Siegelman reported at least 200 itemized contributions, though a few were from the same donor, while Marshall had far fewer donors. Marshall reported only 26 itemized contributions, eight of which were from PACs. Those PAC contributions made up the majority of his fundraising at $49,500.
Marshall’s largest contribution came from ALA Forestry PAC, which gave his campaign a $25,000 contribution. He also accepted two $10,000 contributions from ABC Merit PAC and Qualico Steel Company, a private business.
Nine of Siegelman’s 200 contributions came from PACs, amounting to $47,500 of his $101,609 in contributions.
Siegelman’s largest single contribution came in the form of two different contributions totaling $20,000 from the North Alabama PAC, which purports to support economic development, and $25,000 in total from four different chain PACs — CASH PAC, ET PAC, Leadership PAC and T-Town PAC II — associated with Tuscaloosa’s Michael Echols, a longtime player in local Tuscaloosa and state politics. Echols’ PACs also donated to Ivey, Maddox and the Democratic candidate for chief justice, Bob Vance, in addition to several localized races.
Echols’ PACs earlier this year donated to Marshall’s Republican primary challenger, former Alabama Attorney General Troy King, whom Marshall defeated in the June Republican primary.
Siegelman ended the last filing period with $287,249 in his account, compared to Marshall’s $211,298, largely because Marshall heavily outspent Siegelman more than four-to-one.
In the race for chief justice, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Bob Vance, the Democrat, raised $153,401 through Oct. 12, compared to Parker, who raised only $1,050, which was largely from one $1,000 donation. Vance is also far outspending not only Parker, but most of the other statewide candidates. He spent nearly $571,000 in the first of the month, finishing with $132,920 in his account. Parker spent $63,589, ending the period with $119,425 in cash on hand.
Vance reported 765 different donations during the period to Parker’s three itemized donations.
$15,000 of Vance’s contributions also came from Echols’ PACs.
Republican nominee Will Ainsworth continues to outspend and far outraise his Democratic challenger Will Boyd. Ainsworth, currently a state representative, reported $171,500 in contributions from 68 donors to Boyd’s $2,880 from eight donors. Ainsworth finished the period with $353,100, while Boyd has only $5,336 in his account.
In the race for secretary of state, Republican Secretary of State John Merrill raised $16,950 from 40 separate donations, while Democratic challenger Heather Milam raised $6,427 from 49 separate donations. Merill finished the period with a large war chest of $192,522 to Milam’s $4,342 balance.
Democratic state auditor candidate Miranda Joseph ($3,035) outraised incumbent Republican State Auditor Jim Zeigler, who reported no contributions, though Zeigler outspent Joseph. Zeigler spent $2,567 to Joseph’s $1,846 in expenditures. She reported 12 separate donations while Zielger posted no donations during the period. He finished the period with $11,303 on hand, while Joseph ended with $4,781.
The election is on Nov. 6, and candidates will be required to file weekly finance reports and major campaign finance reports immediately if they accept individual itemized donations of more than $10,000. Candidates that receive or spend more than $5,000 a day during the eight days leading up to the election will also be required to file daily reports.
