Campaign war chest overflows

Published in the Asbury Park Press 10/30/03

$34.7 million raised in races for 120 seats in Legislature

By MICHAEL SYMONS
GANNETT STATE BUREAU

TRENTON -- Candidates for the state Senate and Assembly had raised a record $34.7 million in campaign funds by Oct. 24, according to reports filed with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.

That's $7.3 million more than the $27.4 million legislative candidates had raised at the same point in the 2001 election.

Democrats reported raising $21 million to the Republicans' $13.6 million. Third-party candidates had raised $86,572.

And Democratic spending has pushed one district's race into the multimillion-dollar category, making it nearly twice as expensive as the costliest campaign in any past election.

Fred H. Madden, candidate for state Senate in the 4th District, and his two Assembly running mates have raised $3.3 million. Madden, the former head of the New Jersey State Police, is attempting to unseat GOP state Sen. George F. Geist in a district that encompasses parts of Camden and Gloucester counties. Geist has raised $409,000 so far.

Madden needs to spend money because the former state police superintendent is an unknown, campaign spokesman Rich McGrath said.

"We have new faces from outside the political circles who are running against career politicians," McGrath said. "We're working against a wall of negative attacks from Republicans, so it's more expensive to convey a positive message."

All 120 seats in the Legislature -- 40 senators and 80 Assembly members -- will be decided Tuesday.

Cash has flowed rapidly into the campaigns in just 18 days: The $11.8 million that has been raised from Oct. 6 through 23 alone is equal to $655,444 a day, $455 a minute or $7.59 a second.

For public matching funds

Green Party candidates say the election reports show the state needs the same "clean money" campaign rules as Maine and Arizona have adopted. Under these laws, 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 George DeCarlo, a Green Party candidate for the Assembly in the 21st District in North Jersey.

More than $700,000 has poured into the 12th District in Monmouth County, mostly for Democrats seeking to poach seats in a traditional GOP stronghold. The latest poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University showed Senate co-President John O. Bennett III, a Republican, trailing Democratic challenger Ellen M. Karcher. Karcher has raised twice as money much as Bennett, or $885,000 to Bennett's $426,000.

Nearly all of Karcher's money has come from state and county Democratic organizations, the reports show.

"This is clear that Democrats are really looking to buy a Monmouth County Senate seat," said Conor Fennessy, Bennett's campaign manager.

Democrats -- who control the governor's office, the Assembly and half the Senate -- got most of the money collected from Oct. 6 to 23. They raised 63 percent of the total, or $7.5 million, to the Republicans' $4.3 million.

"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.

'Wasted money'

Jeannette Issenman, executive director of the Republican State Committee, said, "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."

Republicans realized about $500,000 at a fund-raiser Tuesday in Monmouth County featuring Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Issenman said, which is not included in the report.

But campaign finance 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. Such assistance isn't necessarily in the candidates' reports.