INjersey.com

Legislative hopefuls spending approaching record levels

Published by the Gannett State Bureau 10/30/03

By MICHAEL SYMONS
GANNETT STATE BUREAU

TRENTON -- With 11 days left in the campaign, candidates for state Senate and Assembly reported raising nearly $35 million for the Nov. 4 election, according to reports released Wednesday by the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.

That's 27 percent more campaign cash than legislative candidates had raised at the same point two years ago. All 120 members of the Legislature will be decided Tuesday, including senators being elected to four-year terms.

The flow of the money into the midterm elections included $11.8 million in the 18 days from Oct. 6 to 24 alone ---- equal to $655,444 a day, $455 a minute or $7.59 a second.

Green Party candidates say such reports show the state needs the same "clean money" campaign rules as states such as Maine and Arizona, under which candidates can get public matching funds if they rely on small donors and shun special-interest and corporate cash.

"We've gotten a lot of people interested in legislation like this because they look at things this way: The people with money are the ones that are ruling the state of New Jersey, and how is their vote going to count?" said 21st District Assembly candidate George DeCarlo.

Mid-October money cascaded fastest into South Jersey, home to a number of competitive campaigns, including $2.4 million in the 4th District, already the most expensive legislative race in state history; $1.3 million in the 3rd District; and $689,600 in the 1st District.

More than $1 million flowed into the 14th District in Mercer and Middlesex counties, and $707,000 poured into the 12th District, mostly from Democrats seeking to poach seats in a GOP district. Almost $1.4 million combined was given to candidates in two Bergen County districts.

Democrats -- who control the governor's office, Assembly and half the Senate -- have accumulated more money. They raised 63 percent of the donations from Oct. 6 to 24, or $7.5 million to the Republicans' $4.3 million, and have raised 61 percent of the money to date.

"It shows that Democrats are fully engaged and even on the offensive in many districts that Republicans have traditionally taken for granted," said Adam Green, spokesman for the Democratic State Committee.

"Clearly we are going to have the resources to be competitive. In key districts where Democrats have spent millions of dollars, it looks like they've wasted their money," said Jeannette Issenman, executive director of the Republican State Committee.

Republicans raised around $500,000 at a fund-raiser Tuesday in Monmouth County featuring Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Issenman said.

Those reports don't tell the whole story. Legislative leaders' committees, state parties, county committees and independent political committees often spend money for a candidate but don't send a contribution, and those aren't necessarily in the candidates' reports.

They also don't include contributions made after the time period covered by the 11-day pre-election reports. Candidates must report large contributions made in the campaign's final days, and the 4th District Democrats, in fact, have already reported another $241,000.

A review of key districts around the state: