Statewide Md. Dems outraise GOP foes by dramatic margins

Democrats running for the three statewide offices in Maryland have outraised their Republican opponents by dramatic margins over the past two months, and enter the final sprint to Election Day with substantially more resources than their GOP foes.

Wes Moore, the Democratic nominee for governor, raised a whopping $5,252,438 between Aug. 24 and Oct. 23, and had $3,824,989 on hand, according to newly-filed campaign finance statements submitted Friday to the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Moore’s take was supplemented by the $525,843 that his running mate, former state Del. Aruna Miller (D) collected during the two-month period.

Together, the Moore-Miller ticket had almost $4 million in the bank — almost 10 times the war chests of Del. Dan Cox (R-Frederick), the GOP nominee for governor, and his running mate, attorney Giordana Schifanelli.

Recent public polls have shown Moore leading Cox by 30 points in the general election, and the campaign finance data reflect that. The sheer gap in the size of the candidates’ campaign finance reports was also instructive: Moore’s ran 1,080 pages, while Cox’s totaled 137 pages.

“I am so humbled by the incredible number of grassroots supporters we have seen join our team to help us create a Maryland where no one is left behind — a Maryland where we build up our economy, make our communities safer, and strengthen our public schools,” Moore said in a statement Friday night. “This report is just another indication that we’re still working like we’re ten points behind, and continuing to do the work necessary to win this election in November.”

Moore’s biggest financial expenditure, funneled through a joint fundraising committee set up by his campaign and Miller’s, was to the national Democratic media consulting firm, SKDK: $1,660,369.

Cox in fact had his best financial showing of the campaign, buttressed by a fundraiser with President Trump earlier this month at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla. But his take was dwarfed by Moore’s, as small donors and mighty special interest groups sense that the Democratic is going to win.

Cox reported raising $566,328 between Aug. 24 and Oct. 23, and wound up with $444,123 in the bank. Schifanelli pulled in $25,295 and had $8,468 on hand as of Oct. 23.

But the financial gaps between the Democrats running for other statewide offices and their Republican opponents was just as wide as it was in the gubernatorial election. Public polls have shown the Democratic nominees with big leads over the Republicans in the attorney general and comptroller elections.

The Democratic nominee for attorney general, U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown, reported raising $513,824 over the past two months, and had $491,109 in the bank as of Oct. 23. Brown’s campaign finance report showed that he is carrying a debt of $302,109, owed to himself — much of it dating back to his first statewide run, when he was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor in 2014. Brown did, however, loan his campaign $81,250 in July, during the final days of his tough Democratic primary race against retired Judge Katie Curran O’Malley.

The Republican nominee for attorney general, former Anne Arundel County Councilmember Michael Anthony Peroutka, reported raising $67,636 between Aug. 24 and Oct. 23 and had $19,483 in the bank. Peroutka has been associated with the League of the South and other controversial right-wing extremists groups.

But the so-called establishment Republican running for state comptroller didn’t do much better on the fundraising front since late August.

Harford County Executive Barry Glassman (R), running with the enthusiastic backing of Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and an endorsement from The Washington Post, raised $42,610 over the past two months. He reported $286,983 on hand after spending $198,909 between Aug. 24 and Oct. 23, much of it — $183,000 — going to the Annapolis media consulting firm Strategic Partners and Media LLC.

Glassman’s opponent, Del. Brooke Lierman (D-Baltimore City), reported raising $761,723 during the two-month reporting period and ending with $484,448 in the bank.

“This report highlights just how much Brooke’s message is resonating around the state,” said Candace Dodson-Reed, Lierman’s campaign treasurer. “She has built a broad and bipartisan coalition of supporters and is in a strong position as we head into Election Day.”

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