Candidates pile up cash in fall race

Fattest war chest in state $95,411

Information about Legislative Candidates' Campaign Cash
Information about Legislative Candidates' Campaign Cash

An eastern Arkansas candidate for the state Senate -- Rep. David Wallace -- has the largest campaign war chest among all legislative candidates, and he achieved this by lending his campaign more than $105,000, according to the latest campaign-finance reports.

Wallace, a Leachville Republican, reported $95,411.79 in his campaign account through the end of last month. He is trying to oust Democratic Sen. David Burnett of Osceola. Burnett, by comparison, reported $28,240.20 in his campaign treasury.

They are dueling in Senate District 22, which includes Mississippi and Poinsett counties and a part of Craighead County.

With more than three months to go before the Nov. 8 general election, the size of candidates' war chests in contested races is one of several signs that indicate whether a challenger has a chance to oust an incumbent or which candidate has a leg up in a campaign for an open legislative seat.

"It will be a tough race. David Burnett has been in politics of one nature or the other for years," Wallace said, but, "I am going to win this race."

Burnett said he's more qualified than Wallace with 40 years of public service as a prosecutor, judge and senator, but added that Wallace "wants people to think I am a liberal Democrat.

"I am not a liberal Democrat and never have been. In fact, I don't even know who I will vote for for president," Burnett said. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- also a former first lady of Arkansas and the White House -- is the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, while real estate mogul and reality-TV star Donald Trump is the Republican presidential nominee.

In response, Wallace said, "If they look at his voting record versus my voting record, they'll see who the true conservative is."

In addition to lending his campaign $105,327.95, Wallace reported raising $34,030, and spending $39,609.27.

Burnett's latest financial report doesn't tally his campaign's total contributions and total expenses through June 30, although Arkansas Code Annotated 7-6-207 (b) (1) (a) requires that information to be disclosed.

"I'll have to correct that. It wasn't intentional," Burnett said. Adding the figures on his finance reports filed last year and this year for the 2016 election shows that he has raised more than $37,000 in contributions and spent more than $21,000.

Wallace, who lent his campaign about 2½ times the $39,400 annual salary of a state representative or senator, said his loan is important to adequately finance his effort challenging an incumbent.

"I am fighting an uphill battle on that. I am willing to pay the price to do that," said Wallace, owner of Wallace Resource Systems, a disaster-recovery company, and about 40 rental properties.

"I believe if a candidate runs for office he needs to be prepared to put in his own [money]," he said. "It's a loan and we'll see how that turns out."

Burnett, who is an attorney, said, "I don't have $100,000 to put into a campaign.

"I don't intend to make it an issue. I don't know how I could," said Burnett, who didn't report lending money to his campaign.

Wallace is the second legislative candidate to report lending his campaign more than $100,000 in this election year.

In his unsuccessful bid to oust Sen. Eddie Joe Williams of Cabot in the March 1 Republican primary, Lonoke County Justice of the Peace R.D. Hopper of Cabot reported lending his campaign $117,993.93.

At least three other legislative candidates in Arkansas reported lending their campaigns more than $100,000 during the past several years, based on a search through the Institute on Money in State Politics' website.

They include unsuccessful Senate candidate Chad Niell, a Jonesboro Republican, who reported lending his campaign $203,500 in a special primary election in 2013; unsuccessful Senate candidate and former Rep. Dan Greenberg, a Little Rock Republican who reported lending his primary Senate campaign $185,000 in 2010; and another unsuccessful Senate candidate, former Rep. Ken Cowling, a Texarkana Democrat who reported lending his primary campaign $133,511 in 2010.

In this year's election, Democratic state Senate candidate Will Bond of Little Rock reported the second-largest war chest among contested Senate candidates, with $76,026.87 through the end of last month in his bid for the position now held by the departing David Johnson, a Little Rock Democrat.

Through June 30, Bond reported raising $103,092 and spending $27,065.13, leaving him more than $76,000 in the bank. He reported raising $95,842 of that by Oct. 31 in advance of the filing period for candidates.

In the Nov. 8 election, Bond is vying with Libertarian Jacob Mosier of Little Rock, who hasn't filed a campaign-finance report. Candidates are required to start filing finance reports after they have either raised or spent $500.

Bond said he hasn't organized a fundraiser for his Senate campaign since the Nov. 2-9 filing period for legislative candidates.

But, he said, "We plan to have a campaign and talk to people in the district, listening to their concerns and push to November."

The Citizens Salary Commission, which sets the salaries of state elected officials, boosted the annual salary for lawmakers from $15,869 to $39,400 in March 2015. State law allows legislative candidates to carry over an amount equal to the annual salary of the office they sought, so now legislative candidates can carry over up to $39,400 from their campaigns -- up from $15,869. The carry-over money can be spent on office-related expenses and future campaigns.

Asked how much he plans to put in a carry-over account, Bond said, "I haven't thought about that."

"I haven't thought about what happens after the election. That hasn't been at the top of my mind," said Bond, an attorney and former state representative from Jacksonville.

The legislative candidates reporting the third- and fourth-largest war chests through the end of last month are vying for the Senate District 27 seat.

Senate District 27 includes Calhoun and Union counties and parts of Cleveland, Grant, Jefferson and Ouachita counties.

Sen. Bobby Pierce, a Democrat from Sheridan, reported campaign funds of $72,570.58, while his Republican challenger, Trent Garner of El Dorado, reported $59,480.81.

Pierce reported raising $88,900 in contributions and spending $25,979.16 through June 30. Garner reported raising $63,532.40 and spending $4,024.59.

In 2012, Pierce narrowly defeated El Dorado Republican Henry Frisby to win election to the Senate as Republicans gained control of the Legislature for the first time since Reconstruction.

Garner said the campaign-finance reports show "the great support" that he has all across Senate District 27, adding the vast majority of Pierce's contributions come from outside the Senate district, he said.

"My opponent had over $10,000 in [his] war chest when we started the campaign and we are neck in neck in fundraising totals," Garner said.

But Pierce said most of his campaign funds have been raised inside his district.

"I have worked hard in the district and I think people realize that," he said.

Garner, an aide to U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said he wants to create more jobs in southern Arkansas and work to have a smaller, more conservative state government.

Garner declined to give his position on Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson's Arkansas Works program. Arkansas Works is a version of an expanded use of Medicaid funds to provide private health insurance for low-income Arkansans. Garner said he is not going to speculate how he'll vote on an undrafted bill regarding the program.

First approved by the Legislature in 2013, the expansion of the state's Medicaid program extended coverage to adults with incomes of up to 138 percent of the poverty level: $16,394 for an individual, for instance, or $33,534 for a family of four. Most of those covered under the expanded part of the program receive the coverage through what is known as the private option, which uses Medicaid funds to buy coverage through private insurance plans.

Hutchinson's Arkansas Works program would continue the coverage while making changes that Hutchinson has said would encourage enrollees to stay employed and take responsibility for their health care.

Last August, Garner said he's "against the Medicaid expansion known as the 'private option.' We have got to stop spending money we don't have on programs that aren't working effectively."

The federally financed program provides health insurance for for more than 200,000 Arkansans. But the state will have to pay 5 percent of the cost of the program, starting in 2017, and its share will gradually increase to 10 percent by 2020.

Pierce said he supports Hutchinson's changes to the Medicaid expansion, which he said has helped "... small hospitals in my district."

"It's Gov. Hutchinson's plan and he asked for" Pierce's support, Pierce said.

Pierce said Hutchinson is going in the right direction in helping create jobs.

Among House candidates with contested races in the general election, Rep. Stephen Magie, D-Conway, has the largest campaign war chest with $44,287.93 at the end of last month as he prepares for a rematch with Conway Republican Shannon Taylor.

"I always expect a tough race," Magie said. "You either run unopposed or run scared" of the possibility of losing.

Magie reported raising $46,955 and spending $4,347.44 through June 30. Taylor reported raising $5,555 in contributions, lending his campaign $3,000, spending $3,045, and having $5,555 in the bank through June 30.

Rep. Jim Sorvillo, R-Little Rock, reported the second-largest war chest among House candidates in contested elections, with $43,775.56 in the bank as of June 30. He could not be reached for comment by telephone last week. His Democratic opponent, Susan Inman of Little Rock, reported $16,858.92 in the bank on June 30.

North Little Rock Republican Carlton Wing has the third-largest war chest among House candidates in contested races with $41,304.99, after raising $48,241.50 and spending $838.31 through June 30.

He is vying with North Little Rock Democrat Victoria Leigh, who reported $8,034.05 in the bank on June 30 after raising $14,745, lending her campaign $5,000 and spending $11,466.66.

They are seeking to succeed departing Rep. Donnie Copeland, R-North Little Rock, who lost his challenge to Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, in the primary election.

"We are grateful for the amount of support we have received in the district," Wing said.

But he added, "Everything seems to be totally nonpredictable" in this election year.

Leigh said, "I feel like in this district, hard work and connecting with voters by knocking on doors will help with whatever disadvantage I am at with raising less money."

Leigh said she has many people contributing small amounts to her campaign.

Wing said he supports Hutchinson's Arkansas Works program and praised the governor's efforts to place more emphasis on recipients working.

Leigh said she's "a little bit" surprised about Wing's support for Arkansas' version of Medicaid expansion, which she also supports.

"He almost has to. It's the governor's program," Leigh said.

SundayMonday on 07/24/2016

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