Attorney General Jeff Landry's spending blitz in the Louisiana governor's race continued apace in September, new financial filings show, further strengthening the Republican's position atop a field that has remained stagnant for months.
Candidates had to file new financial disclosures by Wednesday evening — 10 days before the Oct. 14 primary election next Saturday. They must continue filing "special" reports detailing additional donations and expenditures before Oct. 14.
With Landry and Democrat Shawn Wilson projected to advance to the November runoff, Landry will have a significant advantage over Wilson if the two square off in late October and November. But Landry's campaign wealth has already translated to increasingly large advertising buys that dwarf those of his opponents.
Landry's campaign outspent Wilson's more than seven-fold in the reporting period from Sept. 5 to Sept. 24, campaign finance records show. That spending does not take into account several political action committees that back Landry and are spending on his behalf.
“As Election Day quickly approaches, we continue to be extremely humbled by the outpouring of support from folks across our State,” Landry said in a statement. “With our campaign continuing to produce robust fundraising numbers up until the end, it’s clear that people are investing in who they believe will do the best job as Louisiana’s next Governor.”
Landry has at least $4.5 million in the bank compared to Wilson's $721,000.
The Republican raised $756,000 in new donations during the September reporting period. His campaign spent $2.9 million in September on a slew of cable TV buys worth about $1.8 million, Instagram and Facebook ads worth $547,000 and a $154,000 text message campaign.
Landry continued to pull in donations from trial lawyers, heavy industry groups and GOP politicians and PACs. His Cajun PAC II reported having $477,000 in the bank when the group entered its latest financial filings in mid-September. Another pro-Landry PAC, Protect Louisiana's Children, had $1.3 million.
Wilson collected $230,000, mostly from small donations numbering in the tens or hundreds of dollars as well as a few $5,000 contributions from medical groups. He reported having $721,000 on hand at the close of the September period.
Wilson spent $388,000 in the latest reporting period including at least $220,000 on digital, video and text message advertising.
A spokesperson for Wilson's campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
Other GOP candidates have ramped up spending in recent weeks and some reported more money in their campaign coffers than Wilson, who is projected to make the runoff due to the state's breakdown of expected Democratic voters. But none of the other Republicans' war chests approach Landry's in size.
Former business lobbyist Stephen Waguespack raised $217,000 and had $272,000 on-hand at the close of the September reporting period. He spent over a million dollars on advertising, campaign events and merchandise in the same period, records show. The pro-Waguespack Reboot Louisiana PAC also had $72,000 on-hand after spending $127,000 on ads including a $40,000 front-page graphic in The Advocate | The Times-Picayune.
Waguespack released a new video spot on Thursday highlighting how he aims to reverse population decline and revitalize the economy through small-government policies.
"Let's raise our expectations and build the Louisiana we've always deserved," he says in the ad, where he appears in clips with his family interspersed with overhead shots of Baton Rouge.
Treasurer John Schroder raised $39,000 and spent $722,000, ending the period with $993,000 in the bank.
Political independent Hunter Lundy, who has funded much of his campaign with his own money, received $35,000 in donations in September and ended the period with $827,000 in his campaign coffers. He spent $400,000, much of it on radio ads.
State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, collected $23,000 in September, spent $20,000 and had $102,000 on hand.
Other statewide races
A highly competitive race to replace Landry as the state's attorney general also saw candidates make large ad buys in recent weeks.
A recent poll by National Research Inc., a consulting firm whose client list includes prominent Republican political candidates and PACs, placed current Landry aide Liz Murrill, a Republican, in the lead with 24% of the vote. Closely trailing her were state Rep. John Stefanski, R-Crowley with 20% and Democrat Lindsey Cheek, a New Orleans trial lawyer, with 18%. The poll's results were first reported by BRProud.
Republican Marty Maley, a veteran prosecutor, and Democrat Perry Walker Terrebonne, another trial lawyer, were the choices of 5% and 11% of the 849 voters surveyed in that survey, respectively.
Murrill raised $387,000 and spent $894,000 on ads and other expenses, leaving her with $978,000 in the bank heading into the primary. Stefanski raised $159,000 in September. He had $123,000 in the bank after spending some $662,000 on advertising.
The Republican Attorneys General Association — which angered Stefanski by backing Murrill without asking to hear his platform, he has said — is pouring money into Murrill's campaign through a PAC called the Louisiana Freedom Fund. The attorneys general association donated $498,000 to Louisiana Freedom in September, all of which the PAC spent on TV and mail ads, records show.
Cheek raised $33,000 in September and had $101,000 in the bank after spending about $192,000.
A crowded Republican field for Secretary of state saw candidates spend on ads in an effort to differentiate themselves. House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, spent $671,000 in September including a $140,000 TV ad buy, and ended the period with $104,000 in the bank. Fellow Republican Mike Francis spent $83,000 and had $322,000 in the bank. Nancy Landry spent $87,000 and had $131,000 in the bank.
In the race for treasurer, Republican Scott McKnight raised $103,000, spent $503,000 and ended the September reporting period with $261,000 in the bank. Fellow Republican John Fleming raised $29,000, spent $36,000 and had $397,000 in the bank. And Democrat Dustin Granger raised $21,000, spent $27,000 and had $24,000 in the bank.