Idaho Gov. Otter pulls ahead in fundraising

BOISE - Idaho Gov. Butch Otter on Tuesday reported raising $752,000 in campaign funds in the past four months, while his Democratic challenger, Keith Allred, raised $372,500. With both candidates spending heavily on advertising as the campaign season hits its peak, Otter reported $211,634 in cash on hand at the close of the period on Sept. 30, while Allred reported $102,072. Otter’s campaign said he has another $67,200 in contributions already committed, but not yet paid. “This has been an incredible quarter for my campaign,” Otter said in a statement. “We not only raised a significant amount of money, but the momentum going forward is extremely high.” Allred had actually outraised Otter, the incumbent Republican who’s seeking a second term, in the previous two reporting periods, but Otter turned that around in the most recent period, which ran from June 5 through Sept. 30. Year to date, Otter’s raised $1.04 million and spent $1.34 million, but he also carried over $316,718 from the previous year. Allred, year to date, has raised $732,640 and spent $757,532; he carried over $126,963 from the previous year. Neither candidate reported any debt. Otter reported a slew of contributions from big business interests in Idaho, with $10,000 year-to-date from Coeur d’Alene Racing LP of Post Falls, through its “Winning for Idaho” PAC, and $10,000 from Clear Springs Foods in Buhl topping the list. He also received $4,500 from Corrections Corp. of America, which operates Idaho’s privately run state prison south of Boise; $7,500 from M3 Eagle, a developer based in Phoenix, Ariz; and $6,500 each from Hecla Mining, Idaho Truck PAC and Altria Corporate Services of Sacramento, Calif., the parent company of the Philip Morris USA tobacco firm. Otter also received a long list of contributions from individuals; his campaign said more than 2,400 individuals have donated. Allred’s support came mostly from individuals across the state, but he also drew big money from labor unions, including $10,000 year-to-date from the PAC for Education; $10,000 from Communications Workers of America-COPE PCC, and $10,000 from the Idaho AFL-CIO’s “Not Another Penny” PAC. One individual, Janet Swift Buschert of Eagle, also gave $10,000. Allred’s donation list, which stretched for 127 pages, was long on individuals, but there was one large donation from a company: $5,000 from Syringa Networks of Boise, the firm that sued the state after it lost a contract for the Idaho Education Network to Qwest. Allred has been critical of the deal. “We are very proud that more than 90 percent of our donors are everyday Idahoans,” said Shea Andersen, Allred’s campaign spokesman. “That’s a record we’re proud of.”