State. Rep. Margo Davidson (D-Delaware) found herself the target of an aggressive challenger in Billy Smith, and this fundraising cycle showed him with a monetary edge after filing big 24 hour reports.
Davidson brought $17,261.00 from 2013, raised $64,285.00 and spent $49,953.84. She ended the first week of May with $31,592.16.
Her major contributors included the 1776 PAC with $2,500, another $2,500 each from Rep. Bob Brady’s PAC, Rep. Mike McGeehan, PEG PAC, and Rep. Dwight Evans, . She also scored an additional $5,500 from PA Liberty Fund and $15,000 from Students First PAC.
Smith brought $35,784.00 into the cycle, raised $48,515.00 and spent $68,727.10. He ended the first week of May with $15,571.90 and no debt.
But he also filed 24 hour reports after this showing major contributions from PSEA ($20,000) and Planned Parenthood ($5,640), in addition to several other donations which gave him an additional $27,140 to add to his $48,515, totaling $75,655.
His big contributions on the original filing came in the form of $1,000 each from Better Delco, Landsdowne Democratic Committee, PFT Committee to Support Public Education, Rep. Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia) PAC, and $1,500 from Sprinklerfitters Local Union #692. But his biggest came from major teacher’s union, PSEA which contributed $20,000 to Smith.
Outside of the financial realm, Davidson also scored endorsements from the Professional Pennsylvania Fire Fighters Association and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, both this week, but the financial edge is sure to help the motivated challenger.
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12 Responses
Good rule of thumb: people who say RINO and DINO are wackos…
Really? This is what you all are arguing about? The bottom line is that both candidates have the resources they need to fund their campaign operations infrastructure and to get their message out to the voters. It doesn’t actually matter if one has a little bit more than the other. I’m more interested in seeing which candidate comes out ahead in the numbers that actually matter, and I’m not talking about the number of or the size of their lawnsigns.
I just learned about Davidson. Thank you! She is another one of those DINOs. We must work to defeat this corporate Democrat. Her values are all over the place. Not a progressive, for sure. If she wins, she will be on the radar of every true Democrat out there next election!! Vouchers, please! Sounds like she goes with the biggest bidder, (if the price is right)—there is a name for that—but I am too polite to use that term here at this moment.
I don’t understand all this whining. The PSEA just gave Billy Smith the same amount of $ they gave Margo Davidson two election cycles ago. Then she stabbed them in the back by voting for vouchers(She’s one of only four Dems who did so). Why? Because pro charter school/voucher PACs bought her votes by giving her over $70,000 ($60k from “Students First”) in the last few years. Students First gives hundreds of thousands of $ to the Pa. GOP Senate Election Committee and lots of conservative groups. They even support Pa. Tea Party Leader Daryl Metcalfe. The PSEA has supported Pa. Dems forever but I guess they’re supposed to just accept this slap in the face from Ms. Davidson
The reason that there is a primary is because a significant portion of Democrats in the newly redistricted 164th along with traditional Democratic organizations like N.O.W., Planned Parenthood and the PSEA are not happy with her voting record. It’s all about her votes!
Dylan, it looks like only one campaign is playing fast and loose with the numbers and that’s Billy’s campaign. Btw, is the Planned Parenthood contribution an in-kind donation? Such a random amount. I think it is– desperation reeks!
Losing sucks though…so.. yeah.. they’d do that.
Seems like some of these commenters have been taking campaign finance lesions from the Margolies campaign.
THIS IS SO MESSED UP.
DAVIDSON OUTRAISED BILLY AND WHEN HE FOUND OUT, HE AND HIS CRONIES DECIDED TO TRY AND FUNNEL SOME MONEY SO MARGO WOULDN’T GET THE CREDIT FOR OUTRAISING HIM.
@ UDBlue – We have covered 48 hour reports when the contributions were significant. Please see our PA-13 article from last week: https://www.politicspa.com/pa-13-candidates-spend-big-in-april/57729/
Really, there are a lot of other campaigns that have been reported about and none included the 24 hour reports like this has. Billy lost fair and square. This article should be fixed.
And by the way, how about PSEA throwing in an extra $20k to save Billy’s butt after he got beat? That’s the story here…
Did PoliticsPA really change the headline becuase a 24 hour report? Looks like Billy Smith campaign lost the money race here. Should be reported that way. You going to update headline again when Margo submits a 24 hour report? Please. None of your other coverage added in 24 hour reports like this. But it’s not like PoliticsPA wasn’t in Billy Smith’s pocket already…..
The PSEA is trying to buy a State Rep seat from a Democrat? Ridiculous.
Waste.
Of.
Money.
Why not spend your money to beat Republicans who are out to kill public education?
While PSEA may not agree with everything each Dem votes, there is no question that a Republican will never vote with them on anything.
Same thing for Planned Parenthood.
This whole exercise is a waste of Dem Donor $ and effort.
All of this $ and effort should be being stockpiled and used by Vince Rongione (HD 163) and John Kane (SD 26), whose general elections will be real inroads for Democratic Party and causes.
Every dollar and ounce of effort spent in this asinine primary in HD 164 hurts Rongione and Kane, and makes it less likely DEMS will make meaningful gains in the State House or take over the State Senate.
The fact that there is a primary in 164 tells you the real issue facing Delaware County Dems-failed leadership. A true leader would have avoided this. Instead DELCO DEMS are saddled with a weak Party Chairman in David and an ambitious former State Rep in Bryan Lentz (who knows he will never be able to hold public office again). The weakness of Landau and the blind ambition of Lentz are setting the DELCO DEMS back a generation.
And I am sorry Billy Smith, your opposition to a small handful of Margo Davidson votes over 4 years do not (your self-created press clippings notwithstanding) make you a progressive champion or a “real” Democrat…it makes you the worst kind of Democratic politician…a narcissistic opportunist.
“But his biggest came from major teacher’s union, PSEA which contributed $20,000 to Smith.”
That’s significant support, far beyond just their endorsement.