Delahunt’s Contributions Top Competitor Four-Fold
WASHINGTON, Oct 18 – If cash contributions are a measure of popularity in the 10th district race, incumbent William Delahunt (D-Quincy) has four times the support of challenger Michael J. Jones (R-Plymouth), according to the most recent filings with the Federal Election Commission.
Delahunt’s campaign has raised more than $1 million to Jones’ $243,613, according to the Oct. 13 reports, the last filed before the election.
Both candidates received the majority of their funds from local individuals, but, while the incumbent’s supporters donated $562,192 for reelection, individual donors gave the Jones’ campaign $179,093.
The greatest fund-raising difference between the two candidates came from political action committees, groups exclusively created to raise money for candidates. PACs dramatically favored Delahunt, giving the Quincy congressman $289,000 – more than Jones has raised all told. Jones only received $8,325 from PACs.
“We raised so much money because our opponent said he was going to excess one million and it seemed prudent,” Delahunt spokesman Steve Schwadron said Tuesday.
The Association of Trial Lawyers of America was Delahunt’s top campaign contributor, giving the maximum, $10,000. Schwadron said Delahunt’s seat on the Judiciary Committee has nothing to do with this contribution and others from legal firms, saying instead that it was a result of Delahunt’s 20 years in the legal profession.
“The people who grew professionally with him, who see his good job, are giving him money,” Schwadron said.
Nevertheless, Jones argued that Delahunt’s financial advantage derived from trial lawyers who don’t live in the district. He said that his financial base is more than 16,000 local small-dollar contributors.
Overall, Delahunt has received more than $100,000 from lawyers and law firms, according to the OpenSecrets.org, which tracks campaign finance statistics.
Jones’ top donors were consulting firms, with PriceWaterHouseCoopers giving $4,000.
Delahunt and Jones’ entered the final week of their campaigns with a stark difference in the amount of money each had left in the bank: While Delahunt still had $1.7 million, Jones only had $15, 970 left.
Jones promised a financial “October surprise” in the final week of the campaign.
“What you don’t see in the reports is the money I take out of my pocket,” Jones said. He added that he will use his own money to finance radio ads and a telemarketing campaign to turn out Republican voters.
