Brady closes gap with Otter in fundraising

BOISE – Congressman Butch Otter’s campaign fundraising lead over Democratic rival Jerry Brady narrowed in the latest reporting period, as the two headed into the heart of the contest to be the next governor of Idaho.

Campaign finance reports filed with the Idaho secretary of state’s office this week showed Otter raised $116,933 in the four weeks surrounding the primary election, while Brady pulled in $145,155 in the same time period.

Otter still leads in fundraising, with $499,130 in the bank at the close of the reporting period on June 2. Brady had $380,000.

Brady, a former newspaper publisher from Idaho Falls who pulled 41.7 percent of the vote against incumbent Gov. Dirk Kempthorne in 2002, hailed the latest reports as a sign that he can compete against Otter, a three-term congressman and former longtime lieutenant governor.

“Beating Butch Otter at his greatest strength, fundraising, is a feat I’m immensely proud of,” Brady said in a news release. “Hundreds of everyday Idahoans have invested in my campaign, which helps us get out the message that Idaho is not for sale. This report proves what I’ve been saying all along. This is going to be a real battle over two clear choices.”

Otter’s campaign manager, state Rep. Debbie Field, wasn’t available for comment Friday, but she noted earlier that Otter has raised more than $1 million since he first announced he’d run for governor a year and a half ago.

“We’ve been pleased with all the support that we’ve received – oh my gosh, it has been terrific,” Field said.

The reports show Otter also has spent far more than Brady on the campaign to date. So far this year, he’s spent $419,108, while Brady has spent $160,476. In 2005, Otter raised more than $750,000 and spent $374,698. Brady raised $380,533 in 2005, and spent $158,403.

In the latest reporting period, which stretched from May 8 to June 2, Otter’s biggest donation was $9,000 from William D. Long, of Boise, while Brady’s was $20,000 from the Democratic Governors Association. Both also listed pages of donations from individual Idahoans, and Otter received contributions from industry and pharmaceutical political action committees while Brady received money from labor PACs.

In the primary election, Otter faced Dan Adamson, of Pocatello, who spent more than $130,000 of his own money on the campaign, and Walt Bayes and Jack Alan Johnson, who spent little money. Otter took 70 percent of the vote in the GOP primary.

Brady’s challenger in the Democratic primary, Lee Chaney Sr., also spent little on the campaign; Brady took 83 percent of the primary vote.

Here’s what the finance reports showed in other statewide races:

Lieutenant governor: Former 1st District Congressman Larry LaRocco outspent Democratic primary rival Dan Romero nearly three to one, and won the primary with 67.5 percent of the vote. LaRocco had just under $20,000 on hand at the close of the reporting period. Republican Gov. Jim Risch, who is running for lieutenant governor in the November election, was unopposed in the primary and has $46,797 in his campaign fund.

Schools superintendent: Republican Tom Luna spent $80,959 in the Republican primary, which he won with 41.5 percent of the vote to state Rep. Steve Smylie’s 40.8 percent and Steve Casey’s 17.8 percent. Smylie spent $49,468, and Casey spent $21,811. Luna had just $1,859 left in his campaign fund at the close of the period for his race against Democratic primary winner Jana Jones in November.

Jones, who defeated state Sen. Bert Marley with 55.4 percent of the vote, spent just $25,563 on her campaign and has $5,917 left in the bank. Marley spent more than twice as much at $59,221.

State controller: Republican accountant Royce Chigbrow spent $59,483 in the primary but lost to former state Rep. Donna Jones, who spent only $7,891 and has $3,672 left in the bank for her run against Democrat Jackie Groves Twilegar.

Attorney general: Myron Dan Gabbert spent $39,432 on his challenge of incumbent Lawrence Wasden, but lost the primary with just 26.3 percent of the vote. Wasden spent $23,405 on his campaign.