4th Quarter 2009 FEC Report Round Up

Okay, here we go again. First off, you can browse these reports yourself at www.fec.gov. As always I apologize in advance for any errors or misinterpretations. I am neither a lawyer nor an accountant, just an interested observer and these thoughts should be taken as such.

This quarter covers Oct – Dec., 2009.

All of the candidates with lengthy reports arranged them in alphabetical order, which makes them much easier to review. Many thanks. At this point in the campaign individual donors can give up to $2400 for the primary election or up to $4800 for the primary and general elections. Once someone reaches $4800 they cannot donate any more money to that candidate.

If there are two numbers one is for the quarter, the other for the election cycle to date.

Watch the itemized (over $250 donations), unitemized (smaller donations), and PAC vs individual ratios. Generally, you will find unitemized to be about 10% the amount of itemized and PAC’s either a half or quarter of that, at least for incumbents. In open races or in challenger’s reports, there are usually fewer PAC donations. They like to stick with people they are fairly certain are going to win.

6th Congressional District

This once open race is now more complicated. Current Republican Congressman Jim Gerlach has ended his campaign for governor and decided to run for re-election. What this means as far as back from the party establishment is open to interpretation. Now there are two Democrats and three Republicans including Gerlach in the running. The party had seemed to be lining up behind Schroder but Gerlach’s former chief of staff is working for Welch.

Doug Pike, Democrat
Receipts:
Itemized 90,905.00
Unitemized 13,410.44
Total Of Contributions From Individuals 104,315.44/ 367,846.07
PACS 11,500.00 / 28,000.00
The Candidate 340,469.05 / 962,248.18
Total Contributions 456,284.49 / 1,358,094.25
Other Receipts 1,091.08 / 2,210.12
Total Receipts 457,376.38 / 1,360,304.37
Disbursements.
Operating Expenditures 95,575.17 / 25,821.54
Total Disbursements 95,575.17 / 25,821.54
Cash Summary.
Cash On Hand At Beginning Of Reporting Period 745,681.62
Total Receipts 457,376.38
Total Disbursements 95,575.17
Cash On Hand At Close Of The Reporting Period 1,107,482.82

One important thing to note is that of the total 1,35 million Pike has raised, nearly 1 million of it has come from his own pocket. He has raised just under $400,000 from other sources. Of the individuals contributing about half are from out of state. About 7 donors donated $2400, and an additional 6 donated $4,800 that means they cannot donate any more this election. Most contributors are the standard doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs. There was a cluster of those in the writing trade, writers, editors, agents, and an out of state newspaper gossip columnist, plus a retired librarian and a photographer. The CEO of Pepsi and an executive at Hill & Knowlton are also in the mix. Politically I saw former congressman Pete Kostmayor and Philadelphian Happy Fernandez. Only 8 PACs donated, including Patrick Murphy’s leadership PAC. In disbursements, he had 7 paid staffers (this includes part-time and people who work only briefly); he paid health insurance. Campaign costs include 3,800 for research service, and a whopping $15K for media consulting.

Manan Trivedi, Democrat

Receipts
Itemized 77,356.00
Unitemized 15,281.99
Total of Contributions from Individuals 92,637.99 / 203,730.85
PACs 8,100.00 / 11,100.00
The Candidate: 2,205.88 / 15,408.16
Total Contributions: 102,943.87 / 230,239.01
Total Receipts: 102,943.87 / 230,239.01
Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 101,320.40 / 119, 493.45
Other Disbursements: 185.00 / 985.00
Total Disbursements: 101,505.40 / 120,478.45
Cash Summary.
Cash On Hand At Beginning Of Reporting Period 121,943.16
Total Receipts 102,943.87
Total Disbursements 101,505.40
Cash On Hand At Close Of The Reporting Period 123,381.63

As with his previous report, there are a lot of ActBlue donations, including some small ones, that alternate with the group ActBlue note on the report which makes it difficult to track. However, I would guess that perhaps a third of Trivedi’s donations are from out of state. About 8 have donated $2400 which means they cannot donate any more for the primary election; another 6 have donated $4800 which means they cannot donate any more for the primary and general combined. As Dr. Trivedi is a physician it is not surprising to see that a number of doctors have donated to his campaign. There are also a number of donors with Indian looking names. No celebrities of note but he received donations from a wide range of occupations, from the CEO of the zoo to a Bank of America receptionist. Local politicos Connie Williams and Bob Roggio also donated to his campaign. He received money from 6 PACs. Trivedi’s personal contributions are just over $15,000. On the disbursement side, there were 6 paid staffers, most short-term. He paid $3k for general campaign consulting, $12K to another firm that seems to specialize in new media, and around $15K for campaign research.


Curt Schroder, Republican

Receipts
Itemized 52,642.04
Unitemized 13,521.00
Total of Contributions from Individuals 66,163.04 / 160,079.90
Political Party Committees 150.00 / 550.00
PACs 11,975.00 / 26,174.99
Total Contributions: 78,288.04 / 186,804.89
Other Receipts: 226.06 / 309.92
Total Receipts: 78,514.10 / 187,114.81
Disbursements:
Operating Expenditures: 34,640.57 / 56,442.29
Refunds: 300.00 / 300.00
Total Disbursements: 37,440.57 / 59,242.29
Cash Summary.
Cash On Hand At Beginning Of Reporting Period 86,798.99
Total Receipts 78,514.10
Total Disbursements 37,440.57
Cash On Hand At Close Of The Reporting Period 127,872.52

Only a negligible number of Schroder’s donors (less than 5) are from out of state. Only one donated $2400, another $4800. There are a number of physicians among his donors, along with a range of other occupations. Nothing noteworthy in the PAC donations. Schroder seems to have outsourced all campaign expenses to Hallowell & Branstetter, paying them over $20K with no other staff or campaign management costs listed. It will be interesting to see what happens now the Gerlach is back in the race.

Steve Welch, Republican

Receipts
Itemized 90,012.73
Unitemized 462.93
Total of Contributions from Individuals 90,475.66 / 104,705.66
PACs: 2500.00 / 2500.00
The Candidate: 150,000.000 / 158,913.32
Total Contributions: 242,975.66 / 302,118.98
Loans Made or Guaranteed from Candidate: 0.00 / 500,000
Total Receipts: 242,975.66 / 802,118.98
Disbursements:
Operating Expenditures: 101,272.55 / 149,151.53
Total Disbursements: 101,272.55 / 149,151.53
Cash Summary.
Cash On Hand At Beginning Of Reporting Period 511.264.34
Total Receipts 242,975.66
Total Disbursements 101,272.55
Cash On Hand At Close Of The Reporting Period 652,967.45

Welch has really gotten his act together. Of the approximately 178 donors, 68 are from out of state. A total of 10 people donated $2400, and 2 gave $4800. A preponderance of donors are businesspeople, as one might expect. Mr. Welch’s reports list donations under $250, which is not required, and employers / occupations are not listed for them. Three PACs made donations. He had about 4 people working on his website, and paid for Facebook ads. Two employees (or consulting firms) are paid well. Two or three other employees. He buys the Wall Street Journal for his campaign office.

Jim Gerlach, incumbent Republican

This is an unusual report as Gerlach was running for governor for most of the quarter. He started with $34,463.44, raised $1678.74, spent $30,844.15, which leaves him with $5,298 on hand. Since his gubernatorial campaign did not end with a significant surplus, Gerlach has a lot of catching up to do.

Howard Cohen, Republican

Cohen raised 89,363.00, quite a bit from out of state, with 14 donations of $2400, and a $9K loan from the candidate. With disbursements of a little over $15K, he has $83,342 cash on hand.

Walt Hufford, Republican

Hufford raised a little over $10K, spent $4815, with a debt of almost $25K, has $30,584 on hand.

7th Congressional District

Bryan Lentz, Democrat

Receipts
Contributions
Itemized 156,474.00
Unitemized 23,385.00
Total Of Contributions From Individuals 179,859.00 / 367,129.00
Other Political Committees (such as PACS) 115,000.00 / 148,100.00
Total Receipts 294,859.00 / 515,229.00
Disbursements
Operating Expenditures 53,213,21 / 55,587.27
Total Disbursements 53,213,21 / 55,587.27
Cash Summary
Cash On Hand At Beginning Of Reporting Period 218,045.94
Total Receipts This Period 294,859.00
Total Disbursements This Period 53,213,21 / 55,587.27
Cash On Hand At Close Of The Reporting Period 459,691.73

In with the standard array of professional occupations, including a lot of lawyers, I saw a nurse practitioner, a teacher, a handful of people in film (no celebrities), and another handful of people affiliated with green companies or environmentalism. (Lentz held a symposium on green jobs last fall.) A total of 7 people have donated $2400 and another 11 have given $4800. Approximately 20% of the itemized donations came from out of state. I didn’t see any famous names but politico Connie Williams donated. A little more than a third of his money came from 57 PACs. Of the 57, 18 were from the campaigns or leadership PACs of other candidates or officials; Lentz is amiable and appears to have made friends. A number of other PACs are occupational, such as the National Elevator Constructors PAC. He’s been fairly frugal with disbursements. He has 3 paid staff but no payments for health insurance that I can see yet. It might be too early for that. He’s spent $6500 on website development.

Pat Meehan, Republican

Receipts
Contributions
Itemized 494,288.21
Unitemized 9,602.61
Total Of Contributions From Individuals 503,890.82 / 707,939.89
Other Political Committees (such as PACS) 75,950.00 / 83,450.00
Total Receipts 579,840.82 / 791,389.89
Disbursements
Operating Expenditures 93,175.69 / 93,782.75
Refunds: 3,400.00 / 3,400.00
Total Disbursements 96,575.69 / 97,182.75
Cash Summary
Cash On Hand At Beginning Of Reporting Period 210.942.01
Total Receipts This Period 579,840.82
Total Disbursements This Period 96,575.69
Cash On Hand At Close Of The Reporting Period 694,207.14

There’s no question that Meehan brought in more money from more people with a higher in state percentage. About 10% of his donors were from out of state. However, more of his are tapped out. A total of 35 people donated $2400, and 37 donated $4800 – those 37 cannot donate again but could suggest that their friends do so. Meehan knows a lot of Indian chiefs – there were a lot of occupational listings such as CEO, president, VP, and executive. However, he also had a Honda salesman. There are a lot of bankers and insurance people listed. The president of the Phillies also donated. There are 29 PAC donors listed. Of these 7 are political campaigns or leadership PACS. However, on his individual donations page he lists several LLP’s and an additional 7 political pacs. I don’t know if those were separated out again as donations from individuals or what. In disbursements he lists one paid staff person but there are monthly retainer fees for 4 other people that may be staff but listed differently for accounting purposes. He paid $10K for pr and material drafting, $16K for website hosting, etc., One odd note, there is a $160.50 payment to Meehan for Congress for photo rights. Doesn’t he own the right to his own photos? There is probably more to the story; it just looked strange. He has $5k in debt.


Joe Sestak isn’t running for Sestak’s congressional campaign still has over $4 million on hand.

8th Congressional District

Patrick Murphy, Incumbent Democrat (elected 2006)

Receipts
Contributions
Individual Itemized 212,500.00
Individual Unitemized 17,655.47
Total Of Contributions From Individuals 230,155.47 / 1,048,334.51
Political Party Committees 0.00 / 1,160.00
PACS 91,150.00 / 414,325.00
Total Contributions 321,305.47 / 1,462,819.51
Transfers from Other Authorized Committees 2,000.00 / 5,000.00
Offsets to Operating Expenditures (Refunds, Rebates, etc) 1,292.72 / 19,064.45
Other Receipts 1,901.02 / 3388.76
Total Receipts 326,499.21 / 1,491,272,72
Disbursements
Operating Expenditures 100,447.08 / 943,048.05
Total Refunds 0.00 / 1821.20
Other Disbursements 2,550.00 / 45,502.36
Total Disbursements 102,997.08 / 990,371.61
Cash Summary
Cash On Hand At Beginning Of Reporting Period 624,251.51
Total Receipts This Period 326,499.21
Total Disbursements This Period 102,997.08
Cash On Hand At Close Of The Reporting Period 847,753.64

Murphy should keep an eye on his in and out of state donor ratio. Over half of his donors (which does not necessarily mean more than half of his money) came from out of state. A lot of his donations were repeat contributors adding small amounts to what they had already donated, or mid-level donors giving $250 or so. Only 4 people completely maxed out at $4800, with an additional 21 reaching the $2400 threshold. As with most reports there are your standard doctors, lawyers, and Indian chiefs (executives of one kind or another). Among the more unusual occupations represented are toymaker, singer / songwriter, midwife, and beer writer. He has donations from two college presidents or chancellors, Teresa Heinz, and the president of the Philadelphia Eagles. Of the 53 PACs that donated only 1 is a leadership PAC. The other are a variety of occupational and interest organizations; perhaps the most noteworthy is the Anheuser Busch PAC. In disbursements, there are 6 salaried employees and he pays for health insurance. There is nothing unusual in the other payments. The only remaining debt is one that has been lingering for some time, for a copier machine lease.

assorted Republicans
Former congressman Mike Fitzpatrick announced his campaign too late to be required to file a quarterly report. Judith Algeo raised a little over $6K and has a little over $5K on hand. Dean Malik raised a little over $28K, $12 from the candidate, and 5 donations of $2400. He had no expenditures. Rob Mitchell raised almost $9K, spent nearly $17K, has about $24,500 on hand with a debt of $32,646.

13th Congressional District

Allyson Schwartz, Incumbent District (elected 2004)

Receipts
Contributions
Individual Itemized 192,425.00
Individual Unitemized 8,331.00
Total Of Contributions From Individuals 200,756.00 / 896,018.08
Political Party Commitees 6.39 / 93.28
Other Political Committees (such as PACS) 142,829.42 / 532,052.68
Total Contributions 343,591.81 / 1,428,164.04
Offsets to Operating Expenditures (Refunds, Rebates, etc) 2,941.72 / 8,391.81
Other Receipts 7,206.34 / 36,858.11
Total Receipts 353,739.87 / 1,473,413.96
Disbursements
Operating Expenditures 100,936.84 / 411,136.77
Total Contribution Refunds 0.00 / 2,175.00
Other Disbursements 7,180.00 / 239,120.00
Total Disbursements 108,116.84 / 652,431.77
Cash Summary
Cash On Hand At Beginning Of Reporting Period 2,594,852.26
Total Receipts This Period 353,739.87
Total Disbursements This Period 108,116.84
Cash On Hand At Close Of The Reporting Period 2,840,475.29

Schwartz’s out of state contributions are neglible. Her PAC vs individual ratio is a little high this quarter. She can also revisit donors, with only 17 donating $2400 or more and only 9 donating $4800. There is nothing unusual about her group of donors, other than a strength among people in the health field. She does have good civic associations, with donations from executives at the Please Touch Museuam, Museum of Art, WHYY, PennPraxis, and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. The support of medical professionals also shows in the number of health related PACs in the 85 that donated to her. In disbursements she paid health insurance for her staff. There are 2 salaried employees, $11K for a fundraising consultant, some housekeeping matters (car payments, storage fees, and some auditing). She donated a little over $6K to political groups, mostly in Philadelphia. I think there might be an amendment though, due to some donation overages.

Damian Dachowski, Republican challenger

Dr. Dachowski raised a little over $12K, spent nearly $13K, and has a little more than $22k on hand.

Dee Adcock, Republican raised $3350, spent $15K, with almost $3K on hand with a debt of $15K.
.