Campaign finances for the House of Delegates 51st District are all over the ledger book.
Two candidates spent more than $20,000 during the most recent reporting period while another spent just shy of $20,000. Three candidates spent nothing at all and one of those hasn’t bothered to fundraise.
The numbers come from the candidates’ Pre-General reports, covering the period of Sept. 24-Oct. 21. Election Day is Tuesday.
Twelve candidates are running for the five seats of the House of Delegates 51st District: five Republicans, five Democrats and two from third parties. The current delegation is three Democrats and two Republicans.
Candidates are presented in the order of their spending for the Pre-General period.
Top 3
Republican challenger Debbie Warner tops the spending lists. She opened the reporting period with a campaign account of $26,587.56.
Warner raised $3,525 from individual donors this period, plus $11,975 from fundraisers in Charleston and Morgantown.
She spent $27,114.70. That left her an account balance of $14,972.86 to enter the final weeks of the race. Her totals for the election season: $46,254.15 raised, $29,747.14 spent.
Incumbent Democrat John Williams takes the second spot. He opened with $12,776.38.
He raised $8,022 from individual donors, plus $100 from another candidate’s 2016 account, a $2,500 loan from himself to his campaign, and $274 in-kind.
Williams spent $22,732.68, leaving a balance of $665.70. His totals for the season: $72,716 raised, $66,360.62 spent.
Taking third is Democrat challenger Evan Hansen. He opened with $39,735.76.
He raised $3,411 from individuals plus $270 at a Morgantown fundraiser and $85 in-kind.
Hansen spent $19,625.60, leaving a balance of $23,791.16. His totals: $58,671.19 raised, $38,793.94 spent.
Middle 5
Incumbent Democrat Barbara Evans Fleischauer tops the middle group. She opened with $37,358.86 and raised $5,789.99.
Fleischauer spent $14,670.72, leaving a balance of $28,478.13. Her totals: $73,716.94 raised, $60,518.22 spent.
Democrat challenger Danielle Walker opened with $21,043.51. She raised $3,523.84, plus $90.30 in-kind.
She spent $10,612.75, leaving a balance of $13,954.60. Her totals: $39,792.39 raised, $21,721.19 spent.
The next two are only a few dollars apart for spending this period.
Incumbent Republican Joe Statler opened with $2,118.08. He received $12,550 from individual donors, plus $9,318.52 at fundraisers in Dilliner, Pa., and Morgantown, and $100 in-kind.
Statler spent $7,923.91, leaving a balance of $16,081.69. His totals: $36,478.52 raised, $20,315.83 spent.
Incumbent Democrat Rodney Pyles opened with $10,197.27 and raised $3,852, along with a $1,000 loan from his wife.
Pyles spent $7,675.13, leaving a balance of $7,374.14. For the season: $20,782 raised, $14,407.86 spent.
Rounding out the middle group is Republican incumbent Cindy Frich. She opened with $7,501.75 and raised $8,645.
Frich spent $1,811.45, leaving a balance of $14,335.30. To date: $19,375 raised, $5,039.70 spent.
Bottom 4
American Freedom Union challenger Harry Bertram separates himself from the remaining three with a single campaign expense.
He opened with $5 and raised $625.
He spent $63.61, all on photocopies. That left him a balance of $566.39. His totals: $831.87 raised, $265.48 spent.
The remaining three spent nothing this period.
Republican challenger Roger Shuttlesworth opened with $198.04 and raised $450.
He spent nothing, leaving a balance of $648.04. His totals for the season: $1,350 raised, $657.32 spent.
Libertarian Buddy Guthrie opened with $50. He raised nothing and spent nothing, leaving his account balance where it started.
Last period, Guthrie failed to record where his $150 in donations for that period came from, or what he spent $100 on. He later filed an amended report to correct that, but the online program inadvertently created a new error by doubling his donations and spending.
So the current report wrongly shows his total contributions for the season as $300 and his spending as $200. The correct numbers are $150 and $100.
Finally, Republican challenger Aaron Metz has filed no finance reports. He filed for office Feb. 28 but did not appear on the primary ballot and wasn’t officially recognized as a candidate until Sept. 25.
