Considering State Rep. Brandon Neuman hasn’t been in the Lieutenant Governor’s race for long, his 2013 financial report is a bit of a pleasant surprise. While Neuman didn’t set the world on fire, just being able to stand on his own two feet at this late stage of the game is a positive sign for his campaign.
According to his report, Neuman raised $90,530 last year and rolled over another $10,352 from his previous campaigns. He currently has $34,385 cash on hand.
Given the fact that Neuman only officially jumped into the race last week, it’s possible many of his 2013 donors gave to him without knowing which office he would be seeking. Regardless, Neuman was able to pull in money from Western PA and from some of the lawyers, unions, and PACs in Harrisburg.
The biggest issue for the candidate, though, was his burn rate. He spent $66,496 last year.
For example, thousands were spent on sponsoring local events and organizations as well as hosting fundraisers. Additionally, Neuman had to give hundreds of dollars to county parties in order to compete for local endorsements.
The biggest expenditure was $7,000 to the fundraising firm SPB Strategies.
Neuman faces a field of five other established candidates in this race: former Rep. Mark Critz, State Senator Mike Stack, Harrisburg City Councilman Brad Koplinski, Bradford County Commissioner Mark Smith and Harrisburg advisor Dr. Brenda Alton.
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6 Responses
@Western Dem —
Wagner would cruise to victory in a race for LG. Very high name ID and wouldn’t need much $. Wagner fits the bill there. But he is 65+ and already has served 8 years as Auditor General and ran unsuccessfully for Governor in 2010. I would be shocked if he would run for LG and sit on the bench for 8 years until he could run for Governor.
Would Jack Wagner be a slam dunk if he ran for LG? I think he would balance the ticket.
@Western Dem —
You’re mostly correct. If the candidate has a story to tell, money matters a lot in almost all campaigns. That is why there are only 3, maybe 4 at most, candidates who can win the Democratic primary for Governor (McCord, Schwartz, Wolf, and maybe McGinty, though she probably won’t have enough $).
You’re right that it matters less in a race for LG. In a race almost nobody will remember when voting, and where there are candidates from most parts of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Northeast PA, Central PA, Southwest PA), name ID will be the only thing that matters. Having significantly more money allows a candidate to create or increase name ID (though less than $1 million limits ad buys to cable and a few networks in small markets, most of which will blend-in with the ads for Governor). Critz has the most name ID in the LG race right now (remember he was a Congressman in one district recently and in a high profile race for a different Congressional district with a lot of TV in the Pittsburgh market and Johnstown/Altoona/State College market just less than 2 years ago), but it looks unlikely he will get get more TV exposure. Stack is second in name ID, but all in Philadelphia. He should have enough $ to do a little cable and a few network spots in smaller markets (he won’t be able to afford Philadelphia market, and it would be a waste of $ for him). Koplinski has no name ID other than the few state committee members and people who attended picnics last summer and he has focused on (and that is not nearly enough to win a race with serious candidates). Koplinski will not have enough $ to make a serious TV buy. Smith has decent labor support, but limited name ID. He may be able to make a small media buy, but it will be very limited. Neuman will be running a state House campaign at the same time, in an area becoming more conservative. He has very limited name ID, and he won’t have enough $ for a serious media buy. Brenda Alton has almost zero name ID and won’t have any money for a media buy.
Money didn’t matter in the 2010 LG race because it had unique dynamics. Conklin beat Saidel in 2010 Dem primary for LG on the strength of the anti-Philadelphia vote. There always will be a certain percentage who will vote AGAINST a candidate from Philadelphia. That matters in a campaign with just two candidates (Conklin and Saidel were the only Dems on the ballot or LG in 2010). But there always will be a certain percentage who will vote FOR a candidate from Philadelphia. That matters in a campaign with several candidates who are not from Philadelphia (Critz, Neuman, Koplinski, Smith, Alton) and just one candidate from Philadelphia (Stack).
That is IF all candidates get and stay on the ballot (I’m not sure Alton or Neuman will have enough signatures to get on the ballot and survive a challenge).
Brandon is the best!!!
At this point who even cares about LG money? Unless Stack raises another $500,000, money won’t be a factor and it’s anybody’s race. What did Conklin raise and spend in his bid? Wasn’t it around $20,000? I think Brenda Alten will raise at least that much.
Where is Koplinski’s report?