MORGANTOWN — An assortment of political groups spent far more money supporting and opposing local candidates — attempting to influence your vote — than many of the candidates themselves did during the 2018 election cycle.
Third-party advertising for or against candidates is called independent expenditures and electioneering communications. Twelve committees — some pro-Republican, some pro-Democrat — paid for print, TV, radio and digital ads to get their message across for local Senate and House of Delegates candidates.
Here’s a look, based on their filings with the secretary of state’s office for the primary and general elections.
Senate races
The pro-Republican West Virginia’s Future PAC spent a total $45,547 against incumbent Monongalia County Sen. Bob Beach in four separate ad buys. Beach’s total campaign spending for the year was just $38,180.64.
Among West Virginia’s Future PAC’s chief supporters are Gov. Jim Justice and his minimum-wage senior advisor (and former media executive) Bray Cary, who gave $50,000 each; the conservative Coalition for a Stronger West Virginia, $75,000; and Arch Coal, $10,000.
The pro-Democrat WV Patriots for Liberty, funded by engineer and construction trade unions, made 10 ad buys opposing Beach’s unsuccessful GOP challenger, former Sen. Mike Oliverio. The spending totaled $159,784.78. Oliverio’s campaign spent $94,182.60.
The typically pro-GOP West Virginia Chamber of Commerce spent 6,454.47 supporting Oliverio and $1,646.34 for Sen. Charles Clements of Wetzel County. For Clements, this was relatively small change compared to his campaign’s $46,153.49 in spending.
The Shale Energy Alliance also supported Oliverio, with four purchases of $9,223.78 each, totaling $36,895.12. (These committees often make big lump advertising purchases and divide the total by the number of candidates they’re supporting or opposing; this explains the odd figures.)
House races
The Republican State Leadership Committee spent $11,000 supporting Marion County Republican Delegate Guy Ward, who lost his 50th District seat in the general election, and $13,000 against Mon County 51st District Democrat Rodney Pyles.
Re Set West Virginia PAC is led by former U.S. Attorney and gubernatorial candidate Booth Goodwin, and supported by other pro-Democrat PACs, such as West Virginia Strong and Expanding West Virginia Opportunities.
Re Set made five purchases opposing Ward, totaling $23,366.81. Ward, by comparison, spent only $20,781.07.
Re Set also supported Ward’s successful Democrat challenger, Michael Angeluuci, spending $3,157.87. Angelucci lent himself $5,000 and spent a total $19,618.43.
The pro-Republican Moving West Virginia Forward BIC PAC (Business and Industry Council) supported
Incumbent 52nd District Republican Terri Sypolt, spending $528.
Pro-Democrat Mountain State Values is supported by teacher and labor unions. It opposed incumbent Mon County 51st District Republicans Joe Statler and Cindy Frich, buying $7,187.50 worth of time against each of them.
Frich spent $26,454.39 during the election season; Statler spent $28,202.08.
It also supported the five Mon County Democrats: incumbents Barbara Evans Fleischauer, Rodney Pyles and John Williams, and hopefuls Evan Hansen and Danielle Walker.
It made five purchases for each, totaling $29,831.14 apiece. Their spending ranged from a high of $80,672.22 for Williams to a low of $24,135.50 for Pyles.
The Mon County Democratic Executive Committee spent $313.19 each for the fie Democrats and $782.97 each against the two Republicans.
The Monongalia Preston Labor Council supported the five Mon House Democrats plus Sen. Beach for a total combined $1,241.80.
It also supported Preston Democrat House 52nd District challenger Gary Knotts, House 53rd District challenger Cory Chase and Senate 14th challenger Stephanie Zucker with a total combined $862.15.
The pro-Republican, Martinsburg-based 1863 PAC hasn’t listed its donors and has been in the news for its support of House Speaker Roger Hanshaw and its failure to list its donors.
It made five buys for Ward, totaling $13,993.34. It made two buys for Taylor County Delegate Amy Summers, now majority leader, totaling $1,000. It spent the same for Statler.
1863 PAC spent $1,000 each on Frich, 52nd District incumbent Terri Sypolt and 53rd District incumbent Buck Jennings. Jennings’ campaign spent a total $7,732.90 while Sypolt’s spent $9,698.01.
It made three buys for unsuccessful 51st District candidate Debbie Warner, totaling $6,417.99. Her campaign spent $46,415.81.
And unsuccessful 50th District candidate received $3,985.76 worth of support. His total campaign spending was $6,644.03.
Tweet David Beard @dbeardtdp
Email dbeard@dominionpost.com
