QUOTE
Campaigning proves costly
By Jason Miller, The News-Dispatch
While many candidates stood in awe this past fall every time the campaign coffers of Democrat Andrea Renner and Republican Tom Dermody rolled over another hundred thousand dollars, most were thankful they'd received enough money to even run a campaign.
Others, like Republican Mark Ludlow, who lost in his attempt to become LaPorte County Sheriff, raised a somewhat astonishing amount for his campaign, hoping the cash would get him the votes he needed to beat eventual winner Democrat Mike Mollenhauer.
“It is a lot, but billboards and signs aren't free,” Ludlow said. “You've got to spend it to be competitive anymore. And he had a lot more (billboards) than I did. That race just cost a lot of money.”
In a loss, Ludlow raised more than $67,000 and spent $64,495. Mollenhauer raised $10,000 less than Ludlow, but spent nearly every penny - $57,066 - in his win.
Mollenhauer said spending a lot of money isn't always the best path to victory.
“It's not always what you spend, but how you spend it,” Mollenhauer said. “I think we both spent as effectively and efficiently as possible, and we both got our messages across.
“I think a big part of it was this was just a Democratic year. There's no doubting that.”
Not all winning candidates saw their war chests grow to the size of those belonging to Ludlow and Mollenhauer, with some raising nothing or next to nothing.
According to final campaign finance reports filed with the LaPorte County Clerk's office, Republican incumbent Terry Garner raised and spent nothing. He beat his opponent, Democrat Scott Proud, by 93 votes.
Proud's campaign finance records weren't available.
Some races finished to form, with the higher-spending candidate winning office handily. No more evident was that fact than in the race for LaPorte Circuit Judge.
Democrat Tom Alevizos beat Republican Jonathan Forker by 5,189 votes and outspent Forker by nearly $24,000. Alevizos raised and spent $36,585, while Forker raised and spent $12,755.
The spending war ratcheted up this year, in part because Republicans and Democrats are at odds locally and nationally on issues ranging from the lease of the Indiana Toll Road to the war in Iraq.
Many Democrats felt they needed to raise and spend “big” in order to get their message out. Republicans saw a need to raise as much, if not more cash, to snuff out what at the time was becoming an overwhelming opposition to the GOP and its top state and national leaders.
But while most of the big money was spent to beat an opponent, candidates not facing an opponent didn't take their unchallenged status to mean they didn't have to raise funds.
Democrat Scott Pelath, running unopposed to retain his seat as 9th District state representative, raised $58,566 and spent $44,868. Eighth District state Sen. Anita Bowser, D-Michigan City, also running unopposed, raised some $17,000, but spent only $3,505.
Raising money to compete for a sure thing wasn't reserved for state-level candidates.
Unchallenged LaPorte County Councilman, Democrat Mark Yagelski, raised $5,350 and spent nearly all of his allotment.
Local and state party organizations play a major role in funding candidates each election cycle, and often spend thousands - some times hundreds of thousands - of dollars to make sure they're candidates win.
In a year when Democrats swept to victories that allowed the party to take over the U.S. House and Senate as well as the Indiana House, though, the money raised didn't equate to victory.
Finance reports show the LaPorte County Republican Central Committee raised some $82,700, and spent $50,674. The LaPorte County Democratic Central Committee - which saw its candidates take the vast majority of local seats in November - raised only $43,469 and spent $29,809.
Contact reporter Jason Miller at jmiller@thenewsdispatch.com.
By Jason Miller, The News-Dispatch
While many candidates stood in awe this past fall every time the campaign coffers of Democrat Andrea Renner and Republican Tom Dermody rolled over another hundred thousand dollars, most were thankful they'd received enough money to even run a campaign.
Others, like Republican Mark Ludlow, who lost in his attempt to become LaPorte County Sheriff, raised a somewhat astonishing amount for his campaign, hoping the cash would get him the votes he needed to beat eventual winner Democrat Mike Mollenhauer.
“It is a lot, but billboards and signs aren't free,” Ludlow said. “You've got to spend it to be competitive anymore. And he had a lot more (billboards) than I did. That race just cost a lot of money.”
In a loss, Ludlow raised more than $67,000 and spent $64,495. Mollenhauer raised $10,000 less than Ludlow, but spent nearly every penny - $57,066 - in his win.
Mollenhauer said spending a lot of money isn't always the best path to victory.
“It's not always what you spend, but how you spend it,” Mollenhauer said. “I think we both spent as effectively and efficiently as possible, and we both got our messages across.
“I think a big part of it was this was just a Democratic year. There's no doubting that.”
Not all winning candidates saw their war chests grow to the size of those belonging to Ludlow and Mollenhauer, with some raising nothing or next to nothing.
According to final campaign finance reports filed with the LaPorte County Clerk's office, Republican incumbent Terry Garner raised and spent nothing. He beat his opponent, Democrat Scott Proud, by 93 votes.
Proud's campaign finance records weren't available.
Some races finished to form, with the higher-spending candidate winning office handily. No more evident was that fact than in the race for LaPorte Circuit Judge.
Democrat Tom Alevizos beat Republican Jonathan Forker by 5,189 votes and outspent Forker by nearly $24,000. Alevizos raised and spent $36,585, while Forker raised and spent $12,755.
The spending war ratcheted up this year, in part because Republicans and Democrats are at odds locally and nationally on issues ranging from the lease of the Indiana Toll Road to the war in Iraq.
Many Democrats felt they needed to raise and spend “big” in order to get their message out. Republicans saw a need to raise as much, if not more cash, to snuff out what at the time was becoming an overwhelming opposition to the GOP and its top state and national leaders.
But while most of the big money was spent to beat an opponent, candidates not facing an opponent didn't take their unchallenged status to mean they didn't have to raise funds.
Democrat Scott Pelath, running unopposed to retain his seat as 9th District state representative, raised $58,566 and spent $44,868. Eighth District state Sen. Anita Bowser, D-Michigan City, also running unopposed, raised some $17,000, but spent only $3,505.
Raising money to compete for a sure thing wasn't reserved for state-level candidates.
Unchallenged LaPorte County Councilman, Democrat Mark Yagelski, raised $5,350 and spent nearly all of his allotment.
Local and state party organizations play a major role in funding candidates each election cycle, and often spend thousands - some times hundreds of thousands - of dollars to make sure they're candidates win.
In a year when Democrats swept to victories that allowed the party to take over the U.S. House and Senate as well as the Indiana House, though, the money raised didn't equate to victory.
Finance reports show the LaPorte County Republican Central Committee raised some $82,700, and spent $50,674. The LaPorte County Democratic Central Committee - which saw its candidates take the vast majority of local seats in November - raised only $43,469 and spent $29,809.
Contact reporter Jason Miller at jmiller@thenewsdispatch.com.