W. Va. — The ripples of the statewide teacher strike can be seen in the primary campaign fundraising in Preston County’s 52nd House of Delegates District, where a teacher- and labor-supported Republican came just a few votes shy of unseating the incumbent.
In the neighboring 53rd, the Democrat challenger is building a sizeable war chest to challenge the GOP incumbent in the general.
In Marion County’s 50th District, spending paid off for one new Democrat aiming for the third open spot behind the two incumbents.
In other local House races, negligible fundraising and spending reflected uncompetitive primary races.
The figures come from the candidates’ Post-Primary Reports, covering the period April 23 through May 20 — 12 days after the May 8 primary.
52nd District
GOP Delegate Terri Sypolt is the presumptive winner of the November election, with no Democrat challenger on the ballot.
But Republican challenger Justin Hough, with substantial typically pro-Democrat union backing, came just 47 votes shy of unseating her. He tallied 1,163 votes (49 percent) to Sypolt’s 1,210.
During the previous reporting period, he’d raised and spent about double Sypolt’s amounts, but she caught up this time.
Hough started the period with $288.69 and raised $1,187.41.He spent $1,474.10, leaving his campaign account a zero balance.
His union donations this time were $250 from the Building and Construction Trades PAC, $500 from the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia and $300 from Laborers’ Local 814.
Previous union donations were from: the AFL-CIO, West Virginia Education Association and the Preston County Education Association, totaling $550; the West Virginia Laborers District Council, $500; and the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association, $500.
He also donated to himself several times. He previously gave himself $986.22 and added another $137.41 this period.
His totals for the season were $3,723.63 raised and spent.
Sypolt start the period with $1,261.35 and raised $2,800. She spent $1,361, leaving a balance of $2,700. She also has a prior $2,000 loan to herself.
Her totals for the season are $3,794.31 raised and $3,093.96 spent.
53rd District
Republican incumbent Buck Jennings handily fended off challenger Caleb Stutler, who spent almost five times more than Jennings. Jennings tallied 1,794 votes (73 percent) to Stutler’s 649 (27 percent).
He now faces Democrat challenger Cory Chase, whose campaign account balance is nearly 14 times bigger.
Jennings opened with $750 and raised $450. He spent $134.50, leaving a balance of $1,065.50.
His totals for the season are $1,200 raised and $134.50.
Stutler’s previous report contained numerous errors, which were carried onto this one.
Adjusting for the errors, he opened the period with a negative $55.29 and gave himself $4.75. He spent nothing – so it’s unclear why he gave himself $4.75 – leaving a balance of negative $50.54.
His totals are $79.75 raised and $572.54 spent. He lists himself as payee for all expenses.
Chase started the period with $12,887.70. He raised another $4,622.52 and spent $2,711.78, leaving a balance of $14,798.44.
This period, he gave himself $2,738.87. He previously gave himself a total $1,782.28. Except for one $100 outlay, he lists himself as the payee for all expenses on all his reports.
On the current report, he does not carry forward his previous totals. Including those, his figures for the season are $19,148.42 raised and $3,405.93 spent.
50th District
On the Democrat side, the two incumbents are joined by Michael Angelucci, who came in third among the six candidates.
Delegate Mike Caputo topped the list with 28 percent of the votes. He started the period with $23,664.26 and raised another $5,650. He spent $6,784, leaving a balance of $22,530.
His current report doesn’t carry forward previous totals. Including those, for the season he raised $20,810 and spent $8,279.74. Like many incumbents, he brought forward money from previous campaigns; he transferred in $10,000 to his current account.
Delegate Linda Longstreth earned 25 percent of the votes. She stated the period with $15,583.77, raised $1,600 and spent only $35, leaving a balance of $17,148.77.
He totals for the primary season are $19,449.74 raised and $2,300.97 spent.
Angelucci took the third spot with 21 percent of the vote. He started with $10,532.30 and brought in $200 – from Caputo – this period. He spent $927.35, leaving himself $9,804.95 to start the general election season.
His totals are $8,633 raised, a $5,000 loan to himself and $2,498.05 spent.
Topping the list of three out of the running, Jack Oliver tallied 11 percent of the vote. He did not file a finance report this period. In the previous round, he gave himself $3,798.96 and spent it all.
John Criado received 8 percent of the votes. He’s filed only one report, the Pre-Primary from two periods ago. In it, he spent $63.60 on signs but raised no money and ended with a negative balance.
George Jarman finished last, with 6 percent of the votes. He started the period with $160 and gave himself $200. A Fairmont fundraiser earned no contributions and netted a $342.40 loss.
His balance was $17.60. For the season he totaled $1,116.74 raised and $592.40 spent — including the fundraiser loss.
Both Republican candidates sailed through unopposed and will face the three Democrats.
Incumbent Guy Ward opened with $2,900, raised $1,718.64 and spent $545.41, leaving a balance of $4,073.23.
His totals are $4,937.68 raised and $864.45 spent.
Phil Mallow started the period with $1,694, raised $100 and spent $165.08, leaving a balance of $1,628.92.
His totals are $2,050 raised and $421.08 spent.
5th District
Incumbent Dave Pethtel has far deeper campaign pockets than GOP challenger Phillip Wiley and didn’t use much during the primary.
Pethtel started with $10,506.35, raised $3,600 and spent just $47.80, leaving himself $14,058.55.
His totals are $15,785 raised and $1,726.45 spent.
Wiley opened with $900, all from himself, raised nothing and spent $285, leaving a $615 balance.
His report totals contain errors carried from his previous report. Adjusting for the errors, he’s raised $1,000 for the season and spent $385.
49th District
This race was relatively sleepy this period, moneywise. The Democrat challenger, though, outspent the GOP incumbent during the entire primary season.
Incumbent Amy Summers opened with $5,092.28 and raised $300. She spent just $50, leaving a balance of $5,342.28.
Her season totals are $5,392.28 raised and $50 spent.
George Abel started the period with $463.92, raised nothing and spent nothing. His totals are $1,200 raised and $736.08 spent.
