Pat McCrory’s campaign war chest is stacked $2.3 million deep with a month to go in the governor’s race, thanks to a $3.1 million haul in the third quarter this year.
McCrory’s campaign released the third quarter fundraising numbers Tuesday, trumpeting last week’s $1 million in donations as its most successful week ever.
The cash infusion puts McCrory’s grand total this election cycle close to $10 million, far more than his Democratic rival Walter Dalton, and puts him in the driver’s seat going into the Nov. 6 election.
Dalton’s campaign said it would not release fundraising numbers for the third quarter. Neither campaign will submit formal campaign finance reports until Oct. 29 because the reporting period does not end until Oct. 20. But both camps put increased pressure on donors to contribute by Friday, the last day of the fiscal quarter.
Dalton ended June with just $714,000 in the bank, handicapped by a late campaign start after Gov. Bev Perdue’s last-minute decision not to seek re-election. The Democrat’s campaign has kept quiet about its fundraising, heightening concerns among political observers about his campaign’s financial weakness.
McCrory ended June with $4.4 million on hand and proceeded to put a huge chunk of the money into a TV advertising campaign that started in August, a month before his rival. The ad campaign is draining his bank account but also keeping him in the lead with most polls showing him ahead by double-digits.
In addition to the $2.3 million cash-on-hand, McCrory is also getting financial help from the Republican Governors Association, as is Dalton from the Democratic equivalent, though to a lesser extent so far.
Dalton gets Charlotte support
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Walter Dalton has picked up the support of the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
Although the group is in the hometown of Republican candidate Pat McCrory, the group traditionally supports Democrats.
Dalton, the state’s lieutenant governor, also won the backing of state Rep. Beverly Earle of Charlotte.
“African-American leaders across North Carolina are standing up for Walter Dalton because we trust Walter Dalton to stand up for us,” Earle said. “Meanwhile, Pat McCrory supports disenfranchising voters and cuts to education and health care that disproportionally affect African-Americans. That’s why African-American groups, especially ones who know McCrory best, are supporting Walter Dalton for governor.”
State Supreme Court race
Democrat Sam Ervin IV is leading Republican Paul Newby in the race for the N.C. Supreme Court, according to a new poll.
Ervin leads Newby 31 percent to 23 percent, according to a survey by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic leaning firm in Raleigh. But the key figure is that 46 percent of the voters are undecided in what has been a low profile race that will ultimately tip control of the court in either Democratic or Republican hands.
Ervin is winning 44 percent of the Democrats, while only 37 percent of the Republicans are committed to Newby. The race is officially nonpartisan. Newby sits on the Supreme Court. Ervin is a judge on the Court of Appeals.
The same survey looked at Council of State races and found that incumbents are showing substantial leads.
Democratic incumbent June Atkinson was leading Republican John Tedesco 44 percent to 34 percent. Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall leads Republican Ed Goodwin 41 percent to 34 percent. Democratic Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin leads Republican challenger Mike Causey 41-36 percent.
Republican Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry leads Democratic challenger John Brooks 41 to 37 percent. The other Council of State races were not polled.
The survey of 981 likely North Carolina voters was conducted Sept. 27-30 and had a margin of sampling error of 3.1 percentage points.
Staff writers John Frank and Rob Christensen
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