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Smith Raises Over 230K for Lt. Gov.

Commissioner Smith
Commissioner Smith

Bradford County Commissioner Mark Smith disclosed that he raised over $230,000 in his bid for lieutenant governor.

The upcoming finance reports are for the period ending December 31st and aren’t published until the very end of January, but campaigns with strong numbers typically give a preview. These numbers are not yet verified by the formal report.

In the month of December alone, Smith raised over $80,000. The campaign said that they  received over 700 contributions and ended the year with over $100,000 on-hand.

In 2010, Democratic candidate Scott Conklin had $15,834.28 on hand to start the new year and his primary opponent, Jonathan Saidel had $712,568.12. Conklin went on to win the primary and lose in the general to the Tom Corbett and Jim Cawley ticket.

“In the final months of 2013, we saw a huge surge in support for our campaign from people who want to set Harrisburg on a new path that values progressive solutions for Pennsylvania families,” said Smith. “This campaign is about putting middle-class workers in Pennsylvania back to work, restoring public education funding for our children, rebuilding our transportation and infrastructure, and fighting for our progressive values.”

This is an impressive showing for Smith, who didn’t enter the race with the same name recognition as some of the other candidates, like former Congressman Mark Critz and Philadelphia Democrat’s candidate and State Senator Mike Stack.

Also in the Democratic field for the Lieutenant Governor nomination are Harrisburg City Councilman Brad Koplinski and Brenda Alton. State Reps. Brandon Neuman and Margo Davidson are also expected to jump into the race.

In addition to solid fundraising, Smith has performed well with union endorsements, winning the support of The Wilkes-Barre and Scranton Building Trades Councils, IBEW Local 126 of Montgomery County, IBEW Local 1319 and 163 of Wilkes-Barre, Boilermakers Local 13 of Philadelphia, IBEW 812 from Williamsport and Sheet Metal Workers Local 44 of Wilkes-Barre, among others.

 

6 Responses

  1. Congratulations! Keep wearing out the shoe leather while pounding the pavement. The Northwest Democrat Alliance looks forward to meeting you at our 7th Annual Spring Breakfast on Sat., March 8th, in Mercer County, PA.

  2. How much is from the gas industry? Smith hasn’t lifted a finger to help those who have been harmed by gas drilling, only the lessors who Chesapeake short changed. A Lt. Governor is supposed to represent ALL the people.

  3. LG fundraising seriously means nothing unless you are raising over a million. It’s impossible to get your message out statewide with less than a million. The LG race is all about established name recognition and geography.

  4. Not much can replace good old shoe leather and miles in a campaign for the people; And there’s no doubt that the Lt Gov race is a race for the people this time around. Lean campaigns can be just as effective as fat ones, and are likely the smart strategy for this race. Traversing the state and reaching into the far corners of the counties can trump a whopping campaign trough. It will be interesting to see whose strategy pays off. Frankly, I’m not betting on the money.

  5. Fundraising and cash-on-hand numbers. Yea ! 🙂

    That was interesting about the 2010 numbers. The Lt Gov race isn’t high profile and the candidates don’t race enough for commercials. It often comes down to what county is next to their names or their ballot position.

    Endorsements probably help them the most, if it gets their name on sample ballots handed out at the polls.

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