Which Candidate Spent The Most This Primary Season?

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Friday, August 31, 2012

Adam Joseph Drici, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

The candidates in next Thursday's Democratic primary filed their pre-primary reports with the Office of Campaign & Political Finance this week, and while not shelling out as much as their predecessor Vincent Pedone, State Rep. candidates in Worcester's 15th District have spent their fair share of cash.

Frank A. Beshai, Dianna Biancheria, Mary Keefe and City Councilor Kate Toomey all e-filed their expenditures from January 1 through August 19, 2012. The expense report from candidate Ralph Perez was not available online and may have been paper filed.

Toomey Tops List

Of the four candidates who e-filed, Toomey's $14,798.47 in expenditures topped the list, which included $9,193.83 in previously reported expenses.

Biancheria was in a close second with $13,003.50 in reported expenditures. Over $3,000 of that money went toward the purchase of flyers from the company Campaigns That Win, a campaign services firm in Worcester run by former Democratic State Rep. Mark J. Carron.

A $2,300 slice of Keefe's $11,337.00 also went to Campaigns That Win, but the largest portion, $4,600, was spent on polling by Somerville's Connection Strategies.

Beshai showed the smallest purse of the reporting candidates, and his $5,000.73 were used primarily for mailings, signage and pamphlets.

Keefe Has Most Cash Still On Hand

With the primary less than a week away, Keefe boasted the largest remaining war chest by far, with $13,637.48 still in her campaign coffers.

Those extra funds may come in handy as many observers say the Thursday election will go to whichever candidate can get the vote out and mobilize the most supporters.