Political parties in state report on their finances
Posted on Friday, July 25, 2008
The state Democratic Party raised more money than the Republican Party in the first six months of this year, but the GOP has more in the bank.
Their latest reports to the Federal Election Commission show that as of June 30, the Democrats received $ 409, 244. 67, the GOP $ 354, 493. 71.
The Democrats also owed $ 45, 795. 86 to the First National Bank of Jonesboro, a debt remaining from $ 150, 000 in loans incurred in 2006 under former chairman Jason Willett, now a candidate for mayor of Jonesboro.
Spokesmen for both parties said the parties are exceeding fundraising goals and are in good financial shape heading toward the Nov. 4 general election.
Last August, Democratic Chairman Bill Gwatney said the Democrats would pay off the Willett line of credit within 2008.
“Our first priority is electing Democrats, but we are on target to meet Chairman Gwatney’s goal by the end of the year,” Darinda Sharp, Democratic Party spokesman, said Thursday.
Under Willett, the party incurred the debt through a line of credit he set up at the bank and he described it as an in- vestment, which was part of his 2005-06 strategy to regain the governor’s mansion in the 2006 election.
Democrat Mike Beebe defeated Republican Asa Hutchinson for governor. The Democrats also regained the lieutenant governor’s office and increased their number of legislative seats from 99 to 102.
For the Nov. 4 election, the Republicans have no one to challenge Democratic U. S. Sen. Mark Pryor and Arkansas’ three Democratic U. S. House members, while the Democrats failed to produce a challenger to U. S. Rep. John Boozman of Rogers.
The premier race in the state appears to be a state Senate contest pitting a former state GOP chairman, Sen. Gilbert Baker of Conway, against Conway Democrat Joe White, a businessman.
The Democrats reported disbursing more money than the GOP in the first six months of 2008, $ 407, 504. 04 to $ 356, 183. 51.
The Republicans’ cash balance was $ 149, 874. 87 compared with the Democrats’ $ 78, 898. 75. There was a similar difference in cash balances on Jan. 1.
And the Democrats reported debts and obligations totaling $ 118, 228. 11, including the sum owed to First National Bank of Jonesboro. The Republicans ’ debts and obligations totaled $ 38, 868. 66.
But Karen Ray, executive director of the state Republican Party, said the GOP’s reported debt was paid long ago but hasn’t been amended out of its reports yet.
Among other details: The Democrats reported a $ 5, 000 June 20 contribution from U. S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln’s political action committee, Leadership in the New Century PAC, and a June 20 $ 5, 000 “excessive contribution” from the same PAC.
Sharp said the party put $ 10, 000 from the PAC in its federal account and then moved $ 5, 000 of that to the state account because there is a $ 5, 000 annual limit on the PAC’s contributions to the state party’s federal account.
“We incorrectly deposited the funds and immediately rectified the situation,” she said. Other notable June contributors to the Democratic Party include state Ethics Commissioner Steve Bryant Jr. of Batesville ($ 500 ) and former Republican state Rep. Marvin Parks of Greenbrier, executive director of the Arkansas Physician Hospital Association ($ 100 to increase his total to $ 500 ), according to the Democrats’ report.
Bryant said he doesn’t recall contributing to the party, and didn’t intend to do so as long as he’s on the commission.
Ethics commissioners Elaine Black of Mount Ida, Catherine Johnson of Little Rock and Stuart Vess of Scott said they don’t make contributions to state parties and candidates for federal office in order to appear to be neutral in ethics cases. Ethics commissioners are barred under state law from contributing to candidates for state and local offices.
In 2004, Parks lost his challenge to Democrat U. S. Rep. Vic Snyder of Little Rock. Notable Republican contributors in June include Deena Burnett Bailey of Little Rock ($ 10, 000 ), and Andrea Rockefeller of Little Rock ($ 10, 000 ).
Bailey is the widow of Tom Burnett, who is credited with persuading other passengers and crewmen to storm a cockpit to try to reclaim from terrorists a plane that eventually crashed in a field in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.
Rockefeller is a daughter of the late Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller.
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