Primary Campaign Finance Reports Are In

The first quarter finance reports for the May primary election are in at the Board of Elections, and there are quite a few interesting things to take note of in these finance reports.

Here's the breakdown by each office:

Orange County Register of Deeds

* Because the names of donors contributing $50 or less are not required to be disclosed, it is possible that some donors are double-counted in this number.

In what is most certainly one of the most interesting races of the cycle, it's perhaps not surprising that the finance reports for this year's Register of Deeds race have several interesting things to take note of.

You might notice that incumbent Deborah Brooks has the most individual donors at 39, but the least amount of money raised out of the three candidates. The reason for this is actually quite simple: Mark Chilton's mother contributed a whopping $4,000 to his campaign, constituting 77% of his total amount raised while Sara Stephens managed to get all of her (many, many) yard signs donated to her campaign -- a $2,264.74 value she did not pay.

If you take out these two donations, Deborah Brooks actually outraised her opponents. Chilton raised only $1,215 in non-mom money while Stephens raised only $2,460.61 if you discount her donated yard signs.

There are also some other interesting numbers in Chilton's finance report. He reports purchasing a cell phone and paying for a cell phone plan with his donations, something that is unusual for a local race, especially for Register of Deeds. Another unusual number in his report is the $1,900 he has paid his campaign treasurer so far. As a former campaign treasurer myself, I can assure you it's very rare for treasurers to be paid any money at all, let alone nearly $2,000 for filing two finance reports.

Orange County Sheriff

* Because the names of donors contributing $50 or less are not required to be disclosed, it is possible that some donors are double-counted in this number.

The undeniable story of the Sheriff race is that Charles Blackwood has outraised every other candidate by leaps and bounds. And not only that, but with such a sizable sum of cash left on hand, I can't help but wonder if he has not already planned for a July runoff and is ready to spend after the primary is over.

There's also a weird number in Blackwood's finance report that you also don't see often in local races. Cumulatively, he has spent $532.18 on fuel for his car during the campaign out of campaign funds.

And Blackwood isn't the only candidate with some unusual expenses. David Caldwell reports making transfers to NC Rep. Larry Hall (D-Durham) and NC Sen. Valerie Foushee (D-Orange). Given how competitive the Sheriff's race is, and how much more money Blackwood has raised than any other candidate, these transfers are quite baffling.

It's also worth noting here that both Andy Cagle and Keith Webster are their own largest donors. If you discount their personal contributions, Cagle's second-largest donation is $200.00 while Webster's is $1,000.00.

Orange County Board of Commissioners - At Large

* Because the names of donors contributing $50 or less are not required to be disclosed, it is possible that some donors are double-counted in this number.

Things get a little less interesting outside of the Register of Deeds and Sheriff races. In the contest for the at-large seat on the Board of County Commissioners, challenger Bonnie Hauser has outraised incumbent Barry Jacobs by $4.419.44. One tidbit: Jacobs reported no donations from anyone outside of North Carolina (excluding aggregate contributions where names and addresses are not required to be disclosed) while Hauser raised $1,370.00 from 12 out-of-state donors.

Orange County Board of Commissioners - District 2

* Because the names of donors contributing $50 or less are not required to be disclosed, it is possible that some donors are double-counted in this number.

In the District 2 race, incumbent Earl McKee outraised challenger Mark Marcoplos by $4,799.86. Other than that fact, these reports seemed pretty standard in their reporting and expenditures.

The Data 

If you want all of the data, you can access it on the Orange County Board of Elections website, or you can view the information in our spreadsheet below.

Please note that all numbers reported in this post are based on the amounts raised and reported for the first quarter report only. Any money raised and reported prior to this report is not included in the calculations.