News

State House candidates in 51st District vary in campaign spending

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.