ME-Gov: Campaign finance reports are now available in Maine's gubernatorial race for the entire race up through April 24, while the June 12 primaries are coming up soon. Maine is an unusual state with a relatively robust system of public financing for candidates under the Maine Clean Elections Act. Candidates who obtain at least 3,200 "qualifying contributions" of between $5 and $100 receive the first and largest tier of public funds, which includes $400,000 for primary candidates, $200,000 for independents in the pre-primary period, and $600,000 for independents or party nominees who make it to the general election.
But unlike some states with public financing, Maine doesn't stop there. While participating candidates can't raise private funds aside from small-dollar qualifying contributions, they can qualify for up to four additional rounds of funding in the primary and eight extra rounds in the general election. In the primary, they get $150,000 for every 800 extra qualifying donations, while in the general it takes 1,200 small donations to get each additional $175,000.
Consequently, public funding can help give a leg up to candidates with grassroots support, and indeed, the lone Democrat to qualify for the initial $400,000 in public funds is longtime progressive activist Betsy Sweet. She raised another $98,000 in donations to unlock the initial public money, and she finished the period with $324,000 on-hand. However, all of her primary rivals are relying on private funding, and attorney Adam Cote led the field with $805,000 raised and $467,000 in the bank.
Cote is already putting his funds to use by launching his first TV ad. A retired major in the Maine national guard, Cote relays a harrowing experience where he survived a suicide bombing attack while serving in Iraq, which allowed him to come home, start a family, and build a clean-energy business, and campaign for governor to make the economy work for everyone.
Two other Democrats both raised a decent amount of cash: State Attorney General Janet Mills brought in a sizable $572,000 and had $279,000 on hand, while former state House Speaker Mark Eves raised $305,000, although he had just $87,000 in his his war chest. However, state Sen. Mark Dion raised a mere $33,000 over more than six months, although legislators are banned from raising money from lobbyists and their employers during the legislative session, which ran from Jan. 1 through April 18. Finally, former state Rep. Diane Russell did not file a report by the deadline.
On the Republican side, state Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason was the lone candidate to participate in public financing. He raised $37,000 to qualify for the $400,000 in public funds and finished with $210,000 in cash-on-hand. Businessman Shawn Moody led the fundraising chase with $575,000 from donors and another $300,000 from his own pocket, leaving him with a sizable $409,000 stockpiled for the last several weeks of the race.
Meanwhile, former state health commissioner Mary Mayhew raised $300,000, but that was over almost an entire year, leaving her with just $84,000 in the bank and suggesting she might have trouble raising money down the final stretch. Finally, state House Speaker Ken Fredette raised a mere $21,000 and looks unlikely to be much of a factor on the airwaves.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Maine gubernatorial election without a serious independent candidate, and this year's contest has two of them. State Treasurer Terry Hayes raised $98,000 to qualify for $200,000 in public funding, leaving her with $120,000 in the bank. But Hayes is already on the general election ballot, meaning she'll be guaranteed another $600,000 after the primary is over. Meanwhile, entrepreneur Alan Caron raised a $495,000 from donors and loaned himself a hefty $450,000, giving him $333,000 on-hand near the end of April.