dbeard@dominionpost.com
MORGANTOWN – In the race for governor, the candidates’ final campaign finance reports leading up to Tuesday/s general election show a vast gap between Republican Patrick Morrisey and the other four.
For this period alone – Oct. 1-20 – Attorney General Morrisey raised 11 times more than Democrat Steve Williams and spent 69 times more.
The figures come from their 2024 General Reports. The post-election reports, covering Oct. 21-Dec. 31, are due Jan. 7, 2025.
Morrisey opened the period with $1,778,323.16 and raised $219,888.61. Small donors – giving $250 or less – gave a total $17,114.64 .
Morrisey also recorded transfers of $3,306.90 from his 2020 campaign and from two delegates’ accounts; $500 in-kind (goods and services); $2,802.87 interest; and a $3,247.87 loan.
He spent $592,870.97, leaving an account balance of $1,351,895.56.
His year-to-date totals were $6,824,464.41 raised and $5,544,876.36 spent. He gave his campaign $334,300 and lent it $99,000 – with $60,000 of that repaid.
Williams, mayor of Huntington, opened with $145,559.20. He raised $19,484.64, with $9,357.64 of that small contributions of $250 or less.
He spent $8,617.40, leaving a balance of $156,426.44.
His year-to-date totals were $254,520.81 raised and $93,211.44 spent. Of all the candidates, he’s the least self-funded, giving his campaign just $750.
Third-party candidates
S. Marshall Wilson is running under the banner of the Constitution Party.
He opened with his account balance in the hole by $529.43. He raised $3,773 and received $9,520.20 in-kind, including $8,969.45 from himself.
By covering campaign expenses via in-kind donations, he listed only $26.98 spent, leaving a balance of $3,216.68.
His year-to-date totals were $76,408.78 raised and $11,868.61 spent. He gave his campaign $58,238.82.
Mountain Party’s Chase Chase Linko-Looper opened the period with $109.52 and received $750 from the Green Party. He spent $295.45, leaving a balance of $564.07.
His year-to-date totals were $12,282.06 raised and $2,902.91 spent. He gave his campaign $10,698.74.
Libertarian Erica Kolenich filed all five of her 2024 reports in October. They were due April 8, May 3, July 1, Oct. 7 and Oct. 25.
She open this period with $8,597.04 and raised $57.91. She also recived $460 in-kind.
She spent $2,515.54, leaving a balance of $6,139.41.
Her totals were $27,068.81 raised and $32,692.65 spent. She gave her campaign $9,082.21 and records outstanding loans from herself of $14,980.07.
