Hard times: Money in ‘10 race for governor nearly half what it was four years ago

You hear a lot of candidates whining about how hard it is to raise campaign money in this economy.

And it’s true.

The amount of money in the hands of ‘10 candidates for governor is nearly half what it was four years ago.

By this time in ’05, Democrats Cathy Cox and Mark Taylor had raised a total $3,595,771 for their campaigns. Republican incumbent Sonny Perdue had raised $3,914,269 all by himself.

That’s a total of $7,510,040.

These are the Democratic totals for in the June 2009 reports:

— Thurbert Baker, $704,331;

— DuBose Porter, $231,250;

— And David Poythress, $156,462.

That’s $1,092,043, or 30 percent of what two Democratic candidates raised in ’05.

These are the Republican numbers for the current period:

— John Oxendine, $416,580;

— Nathan Deal, $974,685;

— Karen Handel, $431,178;

— Eric Johnson, $962,773;

— Austin Scott, $180,620;

— and Ray McBerry, $18,596;

So Republicans have raised a total of $2,984,432, or 76 percent of what Perdue raised in ’05.

The total drop for the ’10 field of candidates: 54 percent.

There are differences. An incumbent governor can twist arms that a mere contender cannot. On the Democrat side, many contributors may be on the sideline, waiting to cut checks for former Gov. Roy Barnes.

And you have an Atlanta mayoral race sucking up funds this year – whereas four years ago, Shirley Franklin was in a cakewalk.

That said, don’t kid yourself. Money’s tight.

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