Democrats more flush in six Council of State races

(The Center Square) – With 103 days to Nov. 5, Democrats are out-fundraising Republicans in the top state-wide elections across North Carolina.

These races, often called the Council of State election races, include the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, commissioners of agriculture, insurance, and labor, the secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction.

Of those 10 elections, Democrats ended the second fundraising quarter of the year with more cash than their opponents in six of them, according to campaign finance reports.

In the governor’s race , Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein raised more than double the amount of money for his campaign than Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

Stein spent $10.6 million and raised $13 million from individuals, ending the period with $15.9 million in the bank. Robinson spent $3 million, raised $4.5 million from individuals, and ended with $6.6 million.

Democratic candidate Rachel Hunt is faring similarly successfully in the race for lieutenant governor.

She ended the period with just over $1 million, while her Republican opponent Hal Weatherman had only $113,000. Hunt, daughter of four-term former Gov. Jim Hunt, raised $888,000 in individual donations, while Weatherman raised $390,000 and spent $350,000.

In the hotly-contested race for attorney general , Democratic U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson ended the period with $5.7 million in the bank to Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop’s $2.7 million.

In the second fundraising quarter, which ended on June 30, Jackson raised $3.7 million from individuals, while Bishop brought in $1.2 million from individual donors.

Steve Troxler, seeking a sixth consecutive four-year term as agriculture commissioner, is one of the Republicans who finished with more funding than his Democratic opponent Sarah Taber, even though she raised more money.

Troxler ended the period with $191,000 to Taber’s $101,000, while they raised $140,000 and $142,000 respectively.

In the insurance commissioner race, Democratic state Sen. Natasha Marcus raised $257,000 and ended June with $412,000 on hand. Incumbent Republican Mike Causey raised only $31,000, ending with $44,000.

Braxton Winston II went unchallenged in the Democratic primary for labor commissioner, yet still spent $81,000 over the spring. He ended the period with only $52,000, while his Republican opponent Luke Farley ended it with $134,000.

In the secretary of state race, incumbent Democrat Elaine Marshall – first woman elected to statewide office and seeking an eighth consecutive four-year term – had nearly 10 times the amount of money her Republican opponent Chad Brown had at the end of the period.

Marshall raised $261,000, accumulating $335,000 by June 30, while Brown raised only $26,000 and ended with $40,000.

Republican Dave Boliek spent over half a million dollars in the second quarter to win the Republican primary for state auditor, but ended with only $62,000 on hand, compared to Democrat Jessica Holmes’ $113,000. Holmes was appointed to the post by Gov. Roy Cooper in December.

Holmes, beaten by Josh Dobson in the labor commissioner race of 2020, raised $103,000 from individuals, while Boliek brought in $419,000.

The race for state treasurer is another one where Republicans took a lead, with Brad Briner ending with just over half a million dollars at $503,000.

Wesley Harris, the Democrat on the ticket, ended with $275,000. He fundraised $381,000 from individuals, while Briner brought in significantly less at $272,000.

Democrat Mo Green is also raking in the donations in North Carolina’s election race for superintendent of public instruction, bringing more than six times the amount of Republican opponent Michele Morrow.

Green ended the quarter with $578,384, raising just over $600,000, while Morrow had only $14,000 left and brought in $45,000.