Kempthorne Takes In Most Donations Front-Runner In Governor’S Race Has War Chest Of More Than $300,000

One candidate is raking in big bucks from the state’s top business interests while his primary opponent is relying exclusively on his own money.

A look at campaign finance reports for candidates for governor and other statewide offices gives a glimpse of who’s really backing the campaigns.

Candidates use the money they raise from contributors to advertise, travel, send out mailings and more. The more money, the more they can get their message out to voters.

Here’s a roundup of who’s funding the candidates in three key statewide races in Tuesday’s primary election: governor, state superintendent of schools and treasurer.

Governor, Republican primary

U.S. Sen. Dirk Kempthorne is the undisputed fund-raising king in this race, piling up a campaign war chest of more than $300,000 dollars over the past six months. Reports filed with the secretary of state this week detail the sources of the $313,141 he’s pulled in since Jan. 1.

Kempthorne notes that he’s had more than 2,000 contributors. Hundreds of individuals gave money, but the largest contributions have come from business interests and political action committees.

“It’s like everybody who has a financial interest in the state is behind Kempthorne - they’re assuming he’s going to be governor,” said Jim Hansen, head of United Vision for Idaho, a nonprofit group that analyzes campaign contributions.

Kempthorne’s biggest contributions this period: Hagadone Corp., $10,000; Coeur d’Alene Mines, $6,000; Simplot Corp., $5,000; Washington Water Power, $5,000; Clear Springs Food (Buhl, Idaho), $5,000; Idaho Power Co., $3,500; Hecla Mining, $3,150; and Anheuser-Busch, $2,500.

Kempthorne’s primary opponent, David Shepherd of Lewiston, has relied almost exclusively on his own money. Except for his filing fee, he’s spent all his money on payments and insurance for his “campaign vehicle,” a 1994 Ford Explorer.

Governor, Democratic primary

Robert Huntley, a former state Supreme Court justice, has raised nearly all his $56,260 in contributions from individuals who live in Idaho.

Although they come from all over the state, his contributors are concentrated in the Boise and Pocatello areas.

William Tarnasky, a Hayden physician, loaned his campaign $5,000 of his own money, but he also gathered $1,650 in other contributions.

Donald McMurrian is spending his own money, as is Jack Wayne Chappell.

Superintendent, Republican primary

Thomas Morley, Cassia County school superintendent, leads the pack in fund raising at $22,745, but he’s loaned his campaign $5,000 of his own money and state Sen. Jack Riggs, R-Coeur d’Alene, has loaned another $3,000. Riggs also contributed $1,000 outright, and Morley dropped in about twice that.

State legislators and individuals gave Morley most of his donations, but he also picked up $950 from the US West PAC, some smaller business contributions and $1,330 in inkind donations from Bonanza Motors in Burley.

Ryan Kerby drew a smattering of small donations from Boise and around the state, and put in $8,000 of his own money. A $3,000 loan from supporter Phil Pittman Jr. in New Plymouth helped push his fund raising this period up to $13,784.

Incumbent Anne Fox raised $10,662, including a $3,000 contribution from Hecla Mining and eight $500 donations from residents of the Garden Valley, Caldwell or Boise areas.

State Rep. Ron Black raised $4,781, but $3,000 of it was his own money. He also had $3,582 on hand from before Jan. 1. Black’s biggest contributions were $350 from eastern Idaho activist Dani Hansen, $250 from the Idaho Choose Life PAC and $200 from Lewiston Rep. Frank Bruneel.

Superintendent, Democratic primary

Wally Hedrick has raised $39,691, mostly from individuals in the Boise area. He also got several donations from construction-related businesses and put in $2,276 of his own.

His biggest contributions were $5,000 from the Idaho PAC for Education, the political arm of Idaho’s teachers lobby; $4,027 from Rolland Jones Potatoes in Rupert; $3,860 from Idahoans for Education, a committee Hedrick formed before he formally launched his campaign; $1,100 from former Gov. Cecil Andrus; $1,000 from T.I.P. Educational Fund in Washington, D.C.; and $1,000 from a relative.

Marilyn Howard raised $13,354 since Jan. 1, with nearly $3,000 of it her own money and $3,000 an in-kind donation from her campaign manager. She collected about two dozen contributions, mostly from Moscow and Boise area residents.

State treasurer

The three Republicans vying for state treasurer are relying on lots of their own money in their campaigns.

Ron Crane, a lawmaker from Caldwell, has raised nearly $50,000, but $20,000 is a personal loan from himself.

His biggest contributions were $1,300 from Union Pacific Railroad; $1,100 from the Idaho Chooses Life PAC; $1,100 from Idaho Land Fund; $1,000 from Micron Technology; $1,000 from Washington Water Power; $1,000 from Sandpoint Rep. John Campbell; and $1,000 from the Kootenai Tribe.

Barbara Bauer raised $28,176, including a $15,951 loan to her campaign. She received lots of contributions from Boise-area Republicans.

Trudy Jackson raised $16,082, including a $3,000 loan to her campaign and $2,896 in other campaign expenses she absorbed. She picked up a few business contributions, and some individual donations mostly from the Boise area.