Outside spending in W.Va. elections nears $20 million

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Outside groups reported spending $4.7 million dollars in the two weeks prior to the election, with total spending reaching $19.8 million so far this election cycle.^[i]

The top spending groups this election cycle are:^[ii]

Mountaineers Always Free PAC, formed by the Republican Attorney Generals Association (RAGA) to help Patrick Morrisey (R) retain his position as West Virginia’s Attorney General. The group, which has received much of its funding from coal and electricity companies, has spent $6.8 million supporting Morrisey and attacking his opponent, Delegate Doug Reynolds (D-Cabell).^{[iii],[iv],[v]}
The Republican Governors Association (RGA), through its Right Direction PAC, has spent nearly $3.7 million to help Senate President Bill Cole (R-Mercer) in his race against Democrat Jim Justice. According to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), the RAGA, the RSLC, and the RGA have several major donors in common.^[vi],[vii]
West Virginia Family Values, a super PAC funded by labor unions and trial attorneys, has spent $2.7 million in several state Senate races, primarily in support of Democrats and against Republicans.^[viii]
The Republican State Leadership Committee’s Judicial Fairness Initiative spent $2.6 million supporting Beth Walker, the winner of the May Supreme Court race, and attacking two of her opponents, Darrell McGraw and Bill Wooton. The RSLC’s top donors include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s two largest tobacco companies, Wal-Mart, and Koch Industries.^[ix]
Good Jobs West Virginia has spent $1.3 in the Governor’s race attacking Bill Cole. The group’s top donors are the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) and Jobs and Opportunity, a federal PAC funded primarily by the DGA.^[x] The DGA’s top donors include Blue Cross/Blue Shield and several major pharmaceutical companies, according to CRP.^[xi]

This year’s outside spending by race breaks down as follows:

Attorney General – $7,056,716
Governor – $5,534,089
Supreme Court – $3,644,315

Third party organizations also spent $3.3 million in various state Senate races (See table below for spending totals and race ranking). Pro-business groups such as Grow WV and the West Virginia Right to Work Committee spent to-date undisclosed amounts to support Republican candidates.^[xii],[xiii]

District	Candidate	Against	For	Candidate Total	Race Total
4	Brian Prim	$68,510	$682,203	$750,713	$1,024,627
	Mitch B. Carmichael	$234,667	$31,022	$265,690
	Dustin Lewis	$7,577	$648	$8,225
11	Gregory L. Boso	$152,891	$29,132	$182,023	$308,105
11	Denise Lynne Campbell	$20,251	$105,831	$126,082	$308,105
14	Bob Williams	$28,654	$124,944	$153,597	$303,927
14	Randy E. Smith	$137,531	$12,799	$150,330	$303,927
1	Jack Yost	$31,203	$122,623	$153,825	$288,820
1	Ryan W. Weld	$98,733	$36,262	$134,995	$288,820
8	Glenn D. Jeffries	$28,106	$125,706	$153,812	$268,529
8	Chris Wesley Walters	$91,654	$23,063	$114,717	$268,529
16	Stephen G. Skinner	$12,658	$147,533	$160,190	$265,562
16	Patricia Puertas Rucker	$81,425	$23,947	$105,372	$265,562
2	Lisa Zukoff	$38,322	$107,540	$145,862	$209,046
2	Mike Maroney	$50,390	$12,794	$63,184	$209,046
6	Robert Rocky Seay	$30,436	$92,183	$122,619	$196,030
6	Chandler Swope	$63,035	$10,376	$73,411	$196,030
9	D. Michael Goode	$19,208	$87,232	$106,440	$179,571
9	Sue Cline	$40,259	$32,871	$73,130	$179,571
3	Gregory K Smith	$778	$105,803	$106,581	$168,821
3	Mike Azinger	$58,471	$3,769	$62,240	$168,821
10	David G. Perry	$30,369	$79,945	$110,314	$163,830
10	Kenny Mann	$42,001	$11,514	$53,515	$163,830
17	Christopher A. Stansbury		$1,550	$1,550	$2,385
17	Corey Lee Palumbo	$835		$835	$2,385
7	Arthur E. Kirkendoll		$900	$900	$900
5	Robert Plymale	$778		$778	$778
13	Barry H. Bledsoe		$72	$72	$144
13	Roman W. Prezioso, Jr.	$71		$71	$144
Total Spending		$1,368,812	$2,012,262		$3,381,073