“Politics has become so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to be defeated,” quipped actor and social commentator Will Rogers more than half a century ago.
A preliminary review of Lowndes County’s campaign finance reports proves that’s still the case, with spending outpacing political contributions by a healthy (or unhealthy, depending on your viewpoint) margin.
Sifting through the ledgers of more than three dozen politicians who reported receipts and disbursements to the Lowndes County circuit clerk’s office reveals that supporters have contributed more than $162,000 to local campaigns, but more than $192,000 has been spent.
That’s a lot of signs, T-shirts and ads, and there’s still two days remaining before some will know if it was money well-spent.
Voters head to the polls on Tuesday, choosing a new governor as well as rendering decisions on a number of local seats.
The following totals are based upon year-to-date, cumulative reports filed by candidates as of the most recent state deadline, which was Nov. 1.
Pre-election reports are mandatory, even if no contributions or expenditures occurred. Most candidates, unless otherwise noted, have filed termination reports, indicating they are no longer accepting contributions or making campaign expenditures and have no outstanding campaign debt.
Lowndes County Sheriff
By far, one of the costliest races has been for sheriff, mainly due to the August runoff between Republicans Mike Arledge and Bo Harris. Of the eight candidates who entered the fray, $33,007 was received in contributions, but $50,349.02 was spent.
Arledge took in $17,150 and spent $16,522.85, knocking fellow Republicans Joey Brackin and Barry Goode out of the race quickly, but Harris hung on until the runoff, receiving $7,277 and spending $13,737.07 before losing to Arledge, who funded more than half of his own campaign.
In a second twist, Interim Columbus Police Chief Selvain McQueen, who initially defeated fellow Democrat Anthony Nelson in the primary, withdrew from the race in September due to a Hatch Act Unit investigation, which sought to determine whether McQueen violated a federal law regulating the political activity of federal employees and civil servants.
Nelson was tapped by the Lowndes County Democratic Executive Committee to replace McQueen in September, but by that time, Nelson had taken down his signage and questioned whether he would be able to effectively rejuvenate his campaign.
Nelson will face Arledge Tuesday, having received only $1,000 and spent $5,228.34, the majority of which went to signs and T-shirts.
McQueen reported no contributions and $1,305.87 in campaign expenditures.
Lowndes County Superintendent of Education
Another costly race has been the matchup for Lowndes County superintendent of education, which started with six candidates and will be a showdown between Independent Rusty Greene, Democrat Cliff Reynolds, and Republican Lynn Wright.
The six received $42,714, most of which went to Wright, who topped all local politicians on dollars earned, bringing in a staggering $23,202 for his campaign — only $11,830.10 of which he spent.
According to Wright’s campaign finance report, $10,000 of his contributions came from a personal loan on May 8, and an additional $10,000 came from Lane Wright, of Wright Farm.
Wright defeated Republican Edna McGill in the runoff election, but not until she had taken in $13,049 and spent $13,452.12.
The majority of Wright’s money was spent on signs, print advertising, and fuel, to which he attributed $3,348.48 of his costs.
McGill spent most of her money on signs, television ads, print ads and a campaign website.
Republican Sam Allison was ousted in the August primary after spending $5,925.81 and receiving $3,000, and Independent Roger Hill reported no financial activity, dropping out of the race in early September.
Greene received $1,600 but spent $6,916.85, while Reynolds came out slightly ahead, receiving $3,463 and spending $3,096.95.
County Prosecuting Attorney
In one of the most financially lopsided races, Democrat Chuck Easley faces Republican Allison Pritchard Kizer, who has spent more than any other candidate in her bid for county prosecuting attorney and ranks second in contributions only to Wright.
Kizer, who has not yet filed a termination report, reports $22,595 in contributions and $21,120.81 in expenditures as of Nov. 1. Approximately $9,500 of her campaign was self-funded, and the bulk of her expenditures — a little more than $9,000 — went toward television and print advertising.
By contrast, Easley earned — and spent — approximately $1,683.58. Most of his campaign was self-funded and spent on print advertising.
Board of Supervisors, District 2
Republican Bill Brigham defeated Incumbent Republican Frank Ferguson in the primary, earning him a spot at the Board of Supervisor’s table after breaking even with $18,768.98 earned and spent.
The majority of Brigham’s contributions — $19,000 worth — were self-funded, with him closing out his account and repaying a personal loan of $1,294.65 on Oct. 5.
Ferguson, on the other hand, received only $2,350 but spent $14,487.20 trying to hang on to his position. The largest portion of that money went to advertising, with WCBI receiving $10,000.
There was no Democrat contender.
Other notable numbers
Independent Incumbent Circuit Clerk Mahala “Haley” Salazar has received $4,509 and spent $3,880.29 defending her seat against Republican challenger Justin Shelton, who received $10,450 and reported a sole expenditure, $4,028.08 to the UPS Store on Oct. 10.
Incumbent Democrat Leroy Brooks has received $500 and spent $496 in his bid to return to the Board of Supervisors District 5 seat, while Independent Roger Larsen has received $1,700 and spent $2800 on the challenge.
Larsen has not filed a termination report, and his most recent filing was Oct. 10.
Democrat Kenneth McFarland received $1,975 and spent $1,900, losing to Brooks in the primary. He has not filed a termination report, and his last file date was July 26.
In the chancery clerk’s race, Incumbent Democrat Lisa Younger Neese has received $4,597 and spent $3,739. She is being challenged by Independent Susan Robinson, who received $633 and spent $376.
Among those who reported “no activity” to the circuit clerk’s office: Republican Chris Hemphill, who is unopposed for Justice Court Judge District 1; Democrat Incumbent Peggy Phillips, who is unopposed for Justice Court Judge District 3; Independent Joey Pounders, who is running against Republican Incumbent Harry Sanders and Democrat Willie Petty for Board of Supervisors District 1; Democrat Incumbent Willie “Hoot” West, who is being challenged by Republican Wayne Crowson for the Constable 1 seat; and Democrat Incumbent William “Sonny” Sanders, who is unopposed for the Constable 3 seat.
This story contains reporting by Dispatch Operations Manager Peter Imes and reporters Devin Golden and Tanner Imes.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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