Democratic candidate Helena Buonanno Foulkes has raised and spent more money than any other candidate in the gubernatorial race since July, yet she still trails behind both Gov. Daniel J. McKee and Nellie M. Gorbea in a recent poll from WPRI-TV CBS 12 and Roger Williams University.
Campaign finance reports filed Tuesday show the former CVS Health Corp. executive has raised $266,798 from individuals and political action committee in the last 45 days while spending $1 million, outdoing any other candidate in the race, ending the reporting period with $182,780 in her campaign account.
Foulkes also boosted her account with a personal loan of $240,000. This is only the latest in a series of loans Foulkes has given her own campaign since announcing her candidacy, loans which now total $740,000.
But Tuesday’s survey, which polled approximately 400 likely Democratic primary voters from Aug. 7-10, found that Foulkes’ spending had helped her gain some ground since May. McKee led the poll with 28% of those surveyed saying they are backing him, followed closely by Gorbea with 25%. Foulkes trailed at 14%, up from 6% in May, the only statistically significant change in support among Democrats from the previous poll.
As of Aug. 15, McKee has the most money in his bank account, with a closing total of $633,255. The current governor raised $127,903 and spent $726,301 in the latest reporting period. Gorbea raised $102,193 from individuals and political action committees, closing the period with $362,705 after spending $525,006.
Former R.I. Secretary of State Matt Brown and Dr. Luis Daniel Muñoz have significantly smaller campaign accounts than their opponents. Brown raised $74,924 from individuals according to the latest report, with an additional $22,736 contribution categorized as “other.” After spending $87,876, Brown closed the period with $80,417 in his account. Muñoz only has $788 in his campaign account as of Aug. 15, after raising $1,722 and spending $2,300.
Brown received 8% of the poll vote, with Muñoz earning the least votes at 1%. But the poll also found that 21% remain unsure who they’ll vote for on Sept. 13.
Another candidate that is not holding back on her expenses is Republican candidate Ashley Kalus, who spent more money than everyone except for Foulkes, with total expenditures for the period reaching $858,263. But Kalus’ account shows $246,674 as of Aug. 15, after the candidate raised only $10,532 from individuals. Similarly to Foulkes, Kalus has been boosting her campaign account with a series of personal loans since last year, loaning her campaign $2.2 million to date.
In the Providence mayoral race, candidate Brett Smiley widened his fundraising – and spending – lead over his Democratic primary opponents, according to Tuesday’s campaign finance reports.
Smiley, a top aide to former Gina M. Raimondo, has consistently outraised and outspent his opponents Nirva LaFortune and Gonzalo Cuervo since entering the race for the top post in city hall. This continued in the six-week period that ended Aug. 15, with Smiley’s war chest still more than four times that of LaFortune and Cuervo.
Smiley ended the reporting period with $418,611 in his campaign account, after raising $126,110 donations from individual and political action committees. Smiley was also the top spender, dishing out $349,871 on his campaign, including a TV commercial which hit airwaves earlier this month. Neither Cuervo or LaFortune have, or plan to, use TV advertising, they told WPRI-TV CBS 12.
By comparison, Cuervo, the former deputy secretary of state and former chief of staff to Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea, raised $17,481 in the same time period, including $4,000 from political action committees. After spending $137,150 on his bid for mayor, Cuervo ended the reporting period with $99,698 in his campaign account.
City Councilwoman LaFortune raised $9,433 solely through individual donations, and spent $78,320 on her campaign. She still has $103,545 in her account.
Both Cuervo and Smiley have previously boosted their campaigns with personal loans: $50,000 from Cuervo and $83,807 from Smiley.
The three-way mayoral primary was not included in the recent poll from WPRI-TV CBS 12 and Roger Williams University.
Whoever wins the Democratic mayoral primary will be the only name to appear on the ballot in the November general election.
(SUBS 3rd paragraph TO CORRECT that Foulkes provided a personal loan of $240,000 to her campaign, and in the 4th paragraph, clarifies the polling results.)
(Staff writer Nancy Lavin contributed to this report.)
Claudia Chiappa is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Chiappa@PBN.com.
