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On his way to routing Republican Dan Cox in Maryland’s election for governor, Democrat Wes Moore raised 10 times as much money, according to new campaign finance reports.
Over the course of 2021 and 2022 through Nov. 15, Moore and running mate Aruna Miller together raised about $16.6 million. That money allowed them to pay a robust campaign staff, produce and run television and radio ads — and have plenty of money left over.
As of Nov. 15 — one week after Election Day — Moore and Miller still had nearly $2.7 million sitting in the bank across their three campaign accounts.
Moore and Miller’s leftover money is more than Cox and his running mate Gordana Schifanelli raised throughout the entire campaign season. Cox and Schifanelli combined to raise about $1.6 million in 2021 and 2022.
Cox reported that his campaign account had a negative balance of about $67,000, as he spent much more than he raised in the final weeks of the campaign. He also reported that the campaign owes him nearly $85,000 for unreimbursed expenses over the course of the campaign.
Schifanelli’s account balance was zero.
Neither campaign issued any public statements about their campaign finance reports, which were due at midnight Thursday.
The latest reports cover a roughly three-week period between Oct. 24 and Nov. 15, and offer a glimpse at how different the campaigns were heading into Election Day.
Moore sailed to victory with 64% of the vote, compared to about 32% for Cox, according to the latest unofficial results reported by the Maryland State Board of Elections.
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Moore and Miller each had their own individual campaign accounts, and they also pooled money into a joint account known as a slate. Combined, Moore and Miller raised about $635,000 in the three-week period.
Cox raised about $130,000 and Schifanelli raised $9,000 in the reporting period. Cox and Schifanelli did not have a slate account.
The Moore-Miller campaign spent more than $300,000 in salaries and other compensation to campaign workers, while the Cox-Schifanelli campaign’s salaries were less than $25,000.
The Moore-Miller campaign had a steady flow of money coming in, with the list of donors reaching more than 200 pages in the latest reports. The campaign also took in money from political action committees and other candidates.
The Moore-Miller campaign shared the wealth with other candidates, sending $6,000 to Howard County Executive Calvin Ball’s successful reelection campaign; $46,000 to the Defend Anne Arundel Slate, which supported more than 30 Democrats in that county; and more than $11,000 to the Prince George’s Together Slate, which worked on behalf of about a dozen Democratic candidates.
Washington, D.C.-based political consulting firm SKDK also continued to benefit from the Moore-Miller campaign’s spending, taking in nearly $870,000 for advertising and ad production costs.
Cox, meanwhile, continued to pay legal fees for his unsuccessful attempt to block the counting of early arriving mail ballots, sending $3,352 to Mississippi lawyer Matt Wilson, a law school friend who was one of two lawyers on Cox’s case. Cox previously paid $6,900 to Wilson and $19,000 to Annapolis attorney Ed Hartman.
pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com
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Pamela Wood covers Maryland politics and government. She previously reported for The Baltimore Sun, The Capital and other Maryland newspapers. A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, she lives in northern Anne Arundel County.
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