Senate GOP has more election cash than Democrats, but minority party competitive

Republican state Senate candidates spent 21 percent more than Democrats heading into the May 8 primary and have more than twice as much cash on hand for the Nov. 6 general election.

Senate leadership typically raised the most, a 2018 first quarter campaign analysis by the N.C. FreeEnterprise Foundation says. But four Democratic candidates cracked the Top 10 for the biggest war chests.

Not all campaign reports for the period Jan. 1 through April 21 were filed when the analysis was done. But, the report, released Monday, May 21, said the cash on hand figures “give us a rough idea of where the General Election candidates stand as we transition out of primary politics and into the fall campaign.”

The second quarter campaign finance report is important, the report says, because lawmakers are in session a good portion of that time. They’re barred from raising funds from political action committees while in session.

The fundraising ban will probably hit majority Republicans harder.

Senate candidates as a group raised more than $4.1 million in the first quarter, spent $2.6 million, and had $6.7 million total remaining in campaign bank accounts, according to the analysis.

To see individual data for all Senate candidates who filed this year click here. To see data for General Election candidates only click here.

Senate candidates moving on to the general election raised an average $30,692 from all sources, including personal loans to themselves. They spent an average $18,240, and had an average of $56,976 cash on hand through April 21.

Republican General Election candidates had $4.4 million, or 70.9 percent, of all cash on hand through April 21. The average per candidate was $88,831, which could bode well for Republicans as they try to hold a 35-15 majority.

Democrats need to pick up six seats to erase the GOP’s veto-proof supermajority. Their General Election candidates had $1.8 million, or 29.1 percent, of all cash on hand. That’s an average $38,032 per candidate.

Senate leadership followed historic trends as the most prolific fundraisers for this quarter, the report says. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, topped the list at $307,468.

“However, unlike other recent reporting periods, several Democrats made the top 10 fundraisers in the Senate, with none of them being driven by large personal loans to their campaigns,” the report says. Four of the Top 10 fundraisers were Democrats, led by former Wake County Democratic Party Chairman Mack Paul, running in Senate District 18. He raised $241,552, the second largest amount in the reporting period.

Fourteen candidates had more than $100,000 cash on hand, with Berger again topping the list at $1.17 million. Senate District 17 candidate Sam Searcy led all Democrats with $539,432.

Four Democratic candidates had more cash on hand than their incumbent Republican opponents, and three are in competitive urban/suburban districts: Searcy, who faces Sen. Tamara Barringer, R-Wake; Paul, with a wide lead over Sen. Johnny Mac Alexander, R-Wake; and Natasha Marcus over Sen. Jeff Tarte, R-Mecklenburg, in Senate District 41. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Macon, trails Democrat Bobby Kuppers by a small margin in Senate District 50, although neither has raised much money yet.