COVER STORY place retiring State Sen. Trip Pittman of District 32 has seen County Commissioner Chris Elliott report $122,230 in cash contributions. His nearest competitor, dentist David Northcutt, has raised $96,220. Also on the GOP primary ballot is Jeff Boyd, who has reported $38,850 in cash contributions and Bill Roberts, who has reported $304. The winner will face Democrat Jason Fisher in the general election in November. Meanwhile, House District 64 incumbent Harry Shiver has reported $52,850 in cash contributions, while Stephen Sexton, his GOP primary competitor, has reported $6,943 in cash contributions. The lone Democrat in that race, Amber Selman-Lynn, has reported $2,200 in cash contributions.
Fundraising benefits, contribution limits
While the money raised during campaign season is important in any race in the United States, having the most money doesn’t ensure victory. Jaclyn Byrd, PhD, an associate professor of political science at the University of South Alabama, said there are two caveats when dealing with fundraising. “One is that funding only goes so far,” she said. “Studies have shown that after a certain funding threshold there are significant diminishing returns on campaign spending.” Secondly, she said, massive fundraising may not be as effective if a race isn’t competitive, or if the person raising the money already has name recognition. “We may also see the diminishing returns more quickly on the local level as the individual running for office may already be well known,” she said. While it doesn’t have as much of an impact on smaller, more local races, Byrd said Alabama failing to have a contribution limit contrasts with many other states. “Only 10 other states fail to place individual limits on campaign contributions,” she said. “All other states place some form of cap, ranging in gubernatorial elections from as little as $500 (Alaska) to as much as $44,000 (New York).”
House District 96
The race to replace Republican Rep. Randy Davis features two candidates on the Democratic side and one on the Republican side. Democrats Maurice Horsey and Richard “Web” Whiting will face off in the primary for the right to take on Matt Simpson in the general election in November. Horsey has raised $3,782 so far, while Whiting has raised $899. Simpson, who has no primary opponent, has so far raised $20,675 in his bid to win the November election.
most PAC money, with $36,500 collected from February to May. Dockens leads the pack behind Brown, with $5,399 in cash contributions in 2018. Bentley has raised $1,920 so far and Oglesby $1,875.
Senate District 33
Incumbent Vivian Davis Figures faces two Democratic challengers in the June 5 primary for state Senate District 33. Figures has outpaced Victor Crawford in fundraising, while Michael Cooley has failed to file any disclosures as of Tuesday, May 15. Figures has raised $57,000 in 2018 and appears to have been a month behind in filing her February and March reports. Figures did not return a call seeking comment. She has spent $69,727, which is less than she spent in 2014 when she was without primary opposition, according to state records. Crawford has raised $18,000, the vast majority coming from himself. He has spent $16,845.
Senate District 34
Current State Rep. Jack Williams is outraising his opponent Mark Shirey by a wide margin, as both candidates are vying for the Republican nomination for the seat held by departing State Sen. Rusty Glover. Glover is running for lieutenant governor. Williams has raised $119,795 year to date, while Shirey has raised $40,923. From March to May, reports show Williams has been the preferred candidate for several statewide PACs. During this stretch, the Williams campaign has received $71,000 from various PACs. Williams has spent $38,636 year to date. Advertisements have appeared for Williams in The Call News, but did not appear on his financial reports. Political consultant Jon Gray of Strategy Inc. said Strategy purchased those advertisements and they will show up on the reports as soon as he is able to send an invoice to Williams. Williams did not return two phone calls seeking comment for this story. Shirey, an optometrist and health care advocate, said he understands the hole he’s in when it comes to fundraising, but he’s not discouraged. He has even touted his own support from various PACs, including Alabama Optometric PAC, which gave him $15,000. So far he has raised $16,000 in PAC money. “I’ve had really good support,” he said. “We’ve got a good campaign. We’re walking door to door and we’ve met a lot of people.” Shirey has spent $24,783 in 2018. He said he’s spent money on mailers and radio.
Candidates without primary competition
Democratic incumbent Adline Clarke is facing an opponent in the primary race, Levi Wright Jr. However, Wright has not yet filed a financial disclosure form. As for Clarke, she has raised $36,525 and spent about $7,000 of that. On the GOP side, Stephen McNair doesn’t have a primary opponent, but has so far raised $14,555. He has spent $6,493.
Republican State Rep. David Sessions has no primary competition for the District 35 Senate seat, but he will face Democrat Tom Holmes in the general election. So far, Sessions has raised $75,300 this year. Holmes has raised considerably less to this point, with $5,855 in cash contributions year to date. Republican incumbent Margie Wilcox will ease into the general election, but will face Democratic challenger Arlene Easley for the State House District 104 seat. To date, Wilcox has raised $14,700 in cash contributions. Easley has raised $1,370.
House District 105
Candidates with no competition
House District 97
Four Republicans are on the ballot for the House District 105 seat vacated by David Sessions, who is running for Senate. Matthew J. Bentley, Chip Brown, Cody Dockens and Janet Brown Oglesby will face off on June 5 without any opposition in November. Brown is outpacing his opponents, with $53,248 raised in 2018. He has taken by far the
Incumbent State Reps. Steve McMillan in House District 95, Victor Gaston in House District 100, Chris Pringle in House District 101 and Barbara Drummond in House District 103 are all poised to be re-elected without qualified competition. Jason Johnson and Gabriel Tynes contributed to this report. M a y 1 6 , 2 0 1 8 - M a y 2 2 , 2 0 1 8 | L AG N I A P P E | 33