State of the race(s): Deal, Baker set the tone

[poll id="5"]The 2010 campaign for governor just had a flash point, or several of them, in the dog days of summer, a year from the partisan primaries.

With all of the candidates now filing their required campaign finance forms with the State Ethics Commission, the leaders at this point in the long campaign are Republican Nathan Deal, a veteran member of the U.S. House, and Democratic Attorney General Thurbert Baker. But beyond the top money men, a more important story could be brewing below.

Deal outpaced all candidates by raising nearly $980,000 in this filing period, which covers the first six months of the year. Baker, meanwhile, reported more than $700,000 raised.

It was not immediately clear, however, how much of Baker’s haul came from money he had already raised for a re-election bid before joining the race for governor. His finance report for his AG’s account, however, shows that he refunded about $20,000 in contributions to donors for that race, as required by law. Baker has about $4,000 in cash in his attorney general’s account.

On the Republican side, there were surprises. State Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah), a late entry into the race for governor, reported raising more than $960,000, including more than $350,000 transferred from the account he had opened for a bid for lieutenant governor. He abandoned the lower race when incumbent Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle announced he would seek re-election rather than a promotion to governor.

Johnson’s total could shake up the GOP race as he and Deal more than doubled the take this period by John Oxendine, the sitting state insurance commissioner, and Karen Handel, the secretary of state. Oxendine and Handel had most often been mentioned as the front-runners for the GOP nomination based mostly on name identification. But Oxendine reported raising about $420,000 this period; Handel raised $430,000.

Johnson’s performance in fund raising should elevate him from long-shot to a position in the main pack of candidates.

On the Democratic side, Baker — who has nearly $600,000 in cash on hand — raised more than twice as much as the nearest competitor, House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin), who reported raising more than $230,000. Former Adjutant Gen. David Poythress, another Democratic hopeful, pulled in more than $150,000 this period.

But Baker’s big number positions him as the top competitor to former Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes, who just began raising money July 1 and was not obligated to report any fund raising details this period. Baker’s cash total gives Barnes a higher target to hit once the former one-term governor joins the race in earnest.

GOVERNOR

• Thurbert Baker (D): $704,331.00
• DuBose Porter (D): $231,250
• David Poythress (D): $150,000
• John Oxendine (R): $420,000
• Nathan Deal (R): $980,000
• Karen Handel (R): $430,000
• Eric Johnson (R): $962,773.40
• Austin Scott (R): $180,620.00
• Ray McBerry (R): $18,596.44