PROVIDENCE – With the primaries behind them, gubernatorial candidates Gov. Daniel J. McKee and Ashley Kalus are gearing up for the final stretch of the elections, pouring money into the respective campaigns. And newly released campaign finance reports show the Republican Kalus has outspent her Democratic opponent in the month following the Sept. 13 primaries.
From Sept. 6 to Oct. 10, Kalus has spent $1.1 million, while McKee capped his expenditures at $742,369.
McKee was outspending all of his opponents right before the competitive Democratic primaries, ramping up his spending in August. Kalus, in comparison, reported spending only $204,805 from Aug. 16 to Sept. 5, as the leading the Republican candidate. But with the primaries out of the way, Kalus is not sparing any expenses campaigning against McKee.
Recent polls show McKee has a sizeable lead, with a Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll showing he leads 46% to 36% and a WPRI-TV CBS 12 and Roger Williams University showing he leads 45% to 32%.
Candidates also continue to chase contributions from Rhode Islanders. In the last five weeks, Kalus raised $45,712 from individuals, versus the $118,850 McKee raised. But contributions are a small part of the source of campaign money. Kalus continues to loan herself sizeable amounts, adding another $1 million loan to her campaign, which brings the total she loaned herself to $3.7 million.
The reports show that McKee also plucked from his personal funds this time around, lending his campaign $75,000. The current governor also raised $4,350 from Political Action Committees and received $500,061 in matching public funds.
Kalus is ending the period with $415,020 in her account, while McKee has $41,669. To date, Kalus has spent $3.4 million on her campaign, while McKee has spent $2.75 million.
These reports also shed some light on how much other Democratic candidates have poured into their unsuccessful campaigns. Helena Buonanno Foulkes outspent all other candidates, spending $4.2 million in her campaign, including $1.4 in personal loans. Foulkes closed narrowly behind McKee at the Sept. 13 elections, followed by Nellie M. Gorbea, who spent $1.9 million on her campaign. Matt Brown and Luis Daniel Muñoz spent $653,796 and $18,130 respectively.
Providence mayoral candidates also spent sizeable amounts on their campaigns. Mayor-elect Brett Smiley spent a total of $1.4 million since January 2021, followed by Gonzalo Cuervo with $546,730 and Nirva LaFortune with $311,542.
Claudia Chiappa is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Chiappa@PBN.com.
