Story by David Beard, The Dominion Post
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Two Republicans and two Democrats are vying for their respective party’s nomination in the May 14 primary election to succeed Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.
The Republicans are state Auditor J.B. McCuskey and state Sen. Mike Stuart. The Democrats are Wheeling attorney Teresa Toriseva and South Charleston attorney and former mayor Richie Robb.
Here is a look at their campaign finances from their First Quarter reports covering the period of Jan. 1 through March 31.
Republicans
McCuskey stood far ahead of Stuart in fundraising and spending. He opened the period with $526,385.85.
He raised another $76,730 from individual contributions and $64,349 at eight fundraisers: four in Charleston, and one each in Morgantown, Bluefield, Daniels and Atlanta, Ga. His campaign account also earned $3,658.32 in interest.
McCuskey spent $65,538.97, leaving an account balance of $605,584.20 heading into the April Primary Report period. His election season totals were $1,042,437.06 raised and $447,673.21 spent.
Stuart opened with $119,850.24 and raised $22,363.41. He also gave his campaign a $16,108.51 loan. He spent $29,825.30 and made a $5,000 repayment on loans to his campaign, leaving a balance of $123,496.86.
His totals were in $106,737.16 raised, $56,766.78 spent, with $76,214.69 in outstanding loans from himself to his campaign.
Democrats
Toriseva held a substantial financial edge over Robb. Her account was new at the start of the period. She raised $9,402.74 in individual contributions and gave her campaign $2,162.01 worth of in-kind services.
She spent $11,269.86 leaving her account $1,867.12 in the red.
Her totals are $11,564.75 raised, counting the in-kind, and $11,269.86 spent. Because of a glitch, her report form inadvertently doubles both of those totals in the year-to-date boxes.
Robb also began with a new account, and raised $2,047.46 — with $1,340.17 of that from himself to his campaign account. He spent $6.01 on web services, leaving a balance of $2,041.45.
His form contains the same error as Toriseva’s — doubling the quarterly totals in the year-to-date boxes.