MORGANTOWN — Uncompetitive races led to overall light primary election campaign spending for three local state Senate seats. The real work is now under way as the contenders look toward November.
The figures come from the candidates’ Post-Primary Reports, covering the period April 23 through May 20 — 12 days after the May 8 primary.
2nd District
Incumbent Republican Charles Clements opened the period with $8,550. He raised another $3,000 and spent nothing. That sent him into the general election period with $11,550 in the bank.
His totals for the season: $13,952.98 raised, $202.98 spent.
The Democratic race was the only contested race in the three local districts. Denny Longwell topped Carla Jones with 59 percent of the vote. He raised nearly $19,000 more than Jones but spent only $1,000 more.
Longwell started the period with $11,161.20 and raised another $1,600. He spent nothing, leaving a balance of $12,761.20 to start the next period.
His totals so far: $22,940 raised, $4,458.80 spent.
Jones filed two reports — her Post-Primary and her First-General — zeroing out her account and terminating her candidacy.
She started the period with $624.44 and raised only $4.20. She spent $228.24, then another $1.26 recorded in her final report, to pay a fee to fundraising service ActBlue.
After the election, she disbursed the remaining $399.14 in her campaign account to her committee to repay a February donation from the committee for her pre-candidacy.
Her totals for the season were $4,122.60 raised and $3,498.16 spent.
Clements and Longwell will face another opponent, Independent Bill Flanigan, who previously served as a Republican delegate representing the 51st District. Flanigan has no financial information on file yet; a spokesman for the secretary of state said he has until Aug. 1 to gather the required number of signatures and file to run.
13th District
Democrat incumbent Bob Beach faces Republican challenger Mike Oliverio, who previously held the seat as a Democrat, until stepping down in 2010 to run for Congress. Oliverio changed parties in October to seek his former seat.
Beach opened the period with $10,125 and raised another $8,150. He spent $323.38, leaving a balance of $17.951.62.
His totals for the season: $20,500 raised, $423.38 spent.
Oliverio has spent more than any other candidate for the three seats, working to get his name known again after several years out of office.
He began the period with $19,742.74. He raised $1,650 in donations and $1,750 at a fundraiser in Morgantown.
The donations and fundraisers combined totaled $3,400. He spent $4,582.13, leaving a balance of $18,560.61. For the season, he raised $25,910 and spent $7,289.39.
14th District
Incumbent Republican Dave Sypolt opened the period with $1,695.55 and raised another $300. He spent nothing, leaving a balance of $1,995.55.
For the season, he’s raised $5,500 and spent $5,191.40.
Democrat challenger Stephanie Zucker opened with $6,585.04 and raised $2,147. She spent $604.96, leaving $8,127.08 to start the general election season.
Her totals: $15,172 raised, $6,234.92 spent.
