Like students pushing a homework deadline, by late Tuesday afternoon, most of the candidates for state office had not electronically filed the reports on contributions and spending that are due by midnight.
Both Gov. Robert Ehrlich and Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley had released their own unofficial figures late Monday ? a total of $13 million for Ehrlich and $10 million for O?Malley, both record amounts in a race for governor. Both also added a strong dose of spin about how their fundraising reflected growing support for their campaigns.
Neither candidate listed how they had spent much of the $5 million each had already paid out from their war chests.
One of the few candidates who had filed an official statement, Del. Peter Franchot, running for comptroller, wound up undermining his own news release last Thursday, loudly touting the $900,000 in cash he had on hand while reporting that $750,000 of that came from a personal loan.
O?Malley?s campaign crowed that the mayor and his running mate, Del. Anthony Brown, had raised nearly a $1 million more than Ehrlich and his lieutenant governor candidate Kristen Cox since Jan. 12.
O?Malley-Brown campaign manager Josh White said, “the strong showing of support ? proves that Maryland families are tired of Bob Ehrlich?s loyalty to George Bush and special interests, and want leadership in Annapolis that will fight for them.”
But Ehrlich could do no official fundraising during the three months the legislature was in session, and Cox was only named to the ticket in late June, while Brown has been running with O?Malley since last year.
The bottom line is that the Ehrlich-Cox campaign has $8.5 million cash on hand, and O?Malley-Brown has $5.1 million on hand with 12 weeks to go before the general election.
More than half of the contributions for candidates were for $100 or less, and Ehrlich said 97 percent of his contributions came from Maryland.
In the attorney general?s race, Montgomery County State?s Attorney Doug Gansler will report that he has raised $1.75 million ? $300,000 in the last reporting period ? and has $1.4 million in cash on hand.
Tom Perez, the Montgomery County Council member in the race, has raised more than $500,000, and had $330,000 cash on hand.
