Money totals yield few surprises in legislative races

Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006

Once again, the latest financial data released on Friday shows that Southern Maryland’s priciest — and most heated — campaign is being waged between Sen. Roy P. Dyson and St. Mary’s County Commission President Thomas F. McKay.

While McKay (R) spent a large chunk of his cash reserves since late August — mostly on broadcast advertisements and campaign paraphernalia — Dyson (D-St. Mary’s, Calvert, Charles) raked in more funds over the same period and used the bulk of it on direct mailings.

At the last reporting period prior to the primary election, McKay had nearly triple the amount of cash on hand as the incumbent, but Dyson has favored grassroots campaigning to stockpiling a large treasury in past elections.

Since January 2005, McKay raised more than $165,000 — including $29,000 in loans — compared to about $76,500 for Dyson, easily earning the race the distinction of Southern Maryland’s most well-slicked campaign.

Challengers often must outspend a veteran incumbent to have a chance of winning, said Paul Herrnson, a political science professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, who specializes in campaign finance.

Dyson has spent most of the last three decades representing Southern Maryland, first in the House of Delegates, then the U.S. House of Representatives and in the state Senate since 1995.

‘‘In a race like that, where you have a longtime incumbent who’s well known to most voters, the incumbent probably figures that most voters know him, know his record and will vote for him or not based on that record,” Herrnson said. Thus, incumbents don’t need to keep pace in the money race.

Despite only serving in public office for four years, McKay also enjoys almost universal name recognition in the region. He is chief operating officer of the well-known local grocery chain that bears his family’s name.

Some politicians believe the competition for donors is a more telling statistic than the chase for dollars.

‘‘I think how they raised the money is just as important as how much they raised,” said Del. W. Daniel Mayer (R-Charles), who has accumulated about $31,000 since the end of August and nearly $70,000 since January 2005.

By that measurement, Dyson outpaced McKay in the last reporting period, receiving 102 contributions to McKay’s 59.

Both candidates have increased their expenses in the last eight weeks. McKay spent nearly $40,000 on print, radio and television ads and paid an Alexandria, Va., research firm $6,800 to conduct a voter survey. Meanwhile, Dyson paid almost $40,000 to a Washington, D.C., direct mail strategist.

He also received substantial contributions from three high-profile Democrats — $6,000 from Sen. Paula C. Hollinger (D-Baltimore), who lost a primary bid for an open Baltimore-area congressional seat; $2,000 from Sen. Brian E. Frosh (D-Montgomery), who chairs the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee; and $1,000 from Montgomery County State’s Attorney Douglas F. Gansler (D), who is running for state attorney general.

Other campaigns posted intriguing campaign finance figures, as well.

Charles County’s premier race features three Democrats and two Republicans vying for three seats in the House of Delegates. Del. Murray D. Levy (D-Charles) loaned himself $29,000, allowing him to invest $52,000 in advertisements and direct mail. Del. Sally Y. Jameson spent more than four times what she raised in the final period, also pouring most of it in campaign literature and media buys.

Mayer, the other incumbent, said he doesn’t hoard his donations. ‘‘I don’t go out and bludgeon people for money. I spend what I get,” he said.

Indeed, he spent almost exactly what he raised since before the primary election, leaving him with approximately $17,000 on hand.

Democratic challenger Peter Murphy has less than $3,000 on hand, after exhausting much of what he received. His financial report lists $81,000 in outstanding loan obligations, including $25,000 from the most recent cycle.

The fifth candidate, Republican James H. ‘‘Jim” Crawford, raised no money and has less than $200 in his coffer. He has recycled signs from previous campaigns and favors a direct appeal over impersonal fundraising events or direct mailers.

‘‘I would rather ask people to support me with their vote and their volunteer work, which they have done, as opposed to just the money,” he said. ‘‘... I guarantee when I talk to people at an event or church, I’m much more likely to gain their vote than if I send them four pieces of mail.”

Some other observations from the pre-general election campaign finance reports:

*Murphy received $500 from Montgomery County Councilman and erstwhile attorney general candidate Thomas E. Perez. He also collected $25 each from a pair of Republican commissioner candidates, Bruce F. Wesbury and Kurt W. Wolfgang, who bought tickets to an Oct. 12 fundraiser, and $50 from GOP state senate candidate Jay Bala, who paid for two tickets to an Aug. 31 reception.

*Levy received $500 from Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith (D), whose name has been floated as a possible candidate for statewide office in 2010. Levy, a former president of the Charles County commissioners, worked closely with county heads as president of the Maryland Association of Counties in 1999.

*Jameson gave $30 apiece to Charles County sheriff candidates, incumbent Frederick E. Davis (R) and challenger Rex W. Coffey (D), to attend their respective fundraisers.

*Mayer received $500 from his sole GOP colleague in Southern Maryland, Del. Anthony J. O’Donnell (R-Calvert, St. Mary’s). He also got $35 from Democratic Charles County State’s Attorney Leonard C. Collins Jr., who is running unopposed.

*Miller’s opponent, Ron Miller, gave $55 to the campaign of former Prince George’s County delegate Rushern Baker, who lost a primary bid for Prince George’s County Executive

*Sen. Thomas ‘‘Mac” Middleton (D-Charles) also transferred $50,000 from his account to the Democratic Senatorial Slate Committee. He paid a Takoma Park research firm $5,150 for a ‘‘voter survey.”

*Peter Kirk, chairman of Maryland Baseball, a group leading efforts to bring an independent baseball team to Southern Maryland, contributed to several campaigns in 2006, including Mike Miller ($1,000), Levy ($250), Mayer ($150) and Team Charles County ($500), which was made up of Middleton, Levy, Jameson and candidate Gregory V. Billups, who finished about 1,100 votes behind Murphy in the Sept. 12 Democratic primary.