Down-ballot candidates in North Carolina fundraise, attract individual donors

With the general election around the corner in November, candidates for North Carolina state races are deep into fundraising efforts. 

In six major state races — governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state treasurer, state superintendent of public instruction and labor commissioner — most Democratic candidates are raising more than their Republican counterparts. 

But, money is only one factor in determining the outcome of an election, UNC political science professor Marc Hetherington said. 

"Money isn't everything in politics," he said. "There are a lot of other things that have a bigger impact on who wins and who loses an election."

Hetherington said while campaign funds raised can be important to reach voters in swing districts, the partisan makeup of a district is more important, since most people vote along party lines.

For each of the six races, Republicans and Democrats alike reported more money from individual donors than political party committees and PACs. Hetherington said, in general, the biggest donor group to campaigns is individual donors, rather than PACs. 

Governor

Josh Stein, a Democrat, was a state senator and is the current North Carolina attorney general. Stein is endorsed by Gov. Roy Cooper, whose second term is ending in January.

Stein's campaign made up the bulk of funds raised for Democrats across the six races, coming in at almost $33 million as of July 10th, the second quarter reporting deadline. 

“Almost all of our contributors are individuals, which highlights something important: this is a grassroots campaign,” Morgan Hopkins, a spokesperson for Stein’s campaign said. “People are donating in each of North Carolina's 100 counties because they believe in Josh's vision for the state, and they want to see us move forward — not backward.”

Mark Robinson is the Republican candidate in the gubernatorial race and is N.C.'s current lieutenant governor. He was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in March.

Robinson's campaign raised less than half of what Stein's did, at $15,757,019.87 this election season. 

Robinson's campaign did not respond to The Daily Tar Heel's request for comment.

Lieutenant Governor

The lieutenant governor is the second highest elected official in the state. The primary role of lieutenant governor is to preside over the state senate.  

Hal Weatherman is the Republican candidate for the lieutenant governor race, who served under a former N.C. lieutenant governor and U.S. representative. 

He raised almost $1 million less than his Democratic opponent. Weatherman has nearly $929,847.15 in donations this election season, while N.C. Sen. Rachel Hunt (D-Mecklenburg)received almost $2 million. 

Attorney General 

The attorney general is elected to head the Department of Justice and represents all state government agencies, departments and commissions with their legal matters. 

U.S. House representative for N.C. and former state Sen. Jeff Jackson is running as the Democrat's primary candidate for A.G.

Jackson raised more than $7 million. He has raised over $4 million more than the Republican party's A.G. candidate, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, who raised nearly $3 million as of the end of Q2. 

State Treasurer

A state treasurer's job is to monitor state finances by sustaining the pension and healthcare plans, examine investments and lower debt. 

The state treasurer race is following a different trend, with the Republican nominee, Brad Briner, raising more money than the Democratic candidate, state Rep. Wesley Harris (D-Mecklenburg). Briner had $612,955.80 more than Harris at the end of Q2. 

“I'm able to do a lot of things personally to the success that I've had in the investment business for the last 25 years, and that includes having a network of people who care about me and care about what I want to do for the state of North Carolina,” Briner, who has a background in finance and is a member on UNC's Board of Trustees, told The Daily Tar Heel.

Harris said his campaign has received lots of grassroots donations.

"I tried to reach out to as many people as possible and build up our network, and show them that this is a campaign that's for every single corner of North Carolina," Harris said.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction

The state superintendent of public instruction's job is to work with the Board of Education to implement N.C. laws surrounding education in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public schools.

Mo Green, who was superintendent of Guilford County Schools for more than 7 years, is running as a Democrat for state superintendent of public instruction. 

Green has raised nearly $1 million, compared to Republican Michele Morrow's amount of around $250,000. Morrow is a former nurse and high school teacher for homeschooled students.

Labor Commissioner

The labor commissioner is the head of the Department of Labor and is in charge of the well-being, health and safety of the employees in N.C. 

The race for labor commissioner also broke from the trend: the Republican candidate raised more than the Democratic one.

Lawyer Luke Farley had $309,137.52 by July 10, compared to Braxton Winston, a former mayor pro tem of the Charlotte City Council who had $253,921.84.

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