Illinois Continues to Lead Nationally in Fundraising for Governors’ Races

Below, you will find profiles for 2018 gubernatorial races in the seven most populous US states, as well as two states with 2017 gubernatorial elections. Campaign finance information reflects the most recently updated fundraising totals for the year, as well as funds available at the beginning of the election cycle in January. Incumbent governors are indicated with an (i), Democratic candidates are listed in blue, and Republican candidates are listed in red.

For reference, fund raising totals for Illinois gubernatorial candidates are also provided here. Click here to see more detailed information on the Illinois candidates’ campaign finance.

New Jersey (2017)
New Jersey is one of two states to hold gubernatorial elections in 2017. Incumbent Chris Christie (R) is term-limited, leaving the seat open. Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno (R) and Phil Murphy (D), a banker and former ambassador to Germany, won their parties’ respective nominations and are vying for a win on November 7th.

Murphy has maintained a substantial lead in the polls, as Guadagno’s connection to the deeply unpopular Christie has proven to be a campaign liability.

Both candidates in this race have bolstered their fundraising hauls through New Jersey’s generous public financing program for gubernatorial candidates. According to Observer Media, by mid-September, Murphy had collected $5 million in public funding, and Guadagno had collected $1.35 million from the program.

Texas (2018)
Current Governor Greg Abbott (R) is running for re-election in 2018. No serious competition to Abbott has entered the race. In fact, a report by the Dallas News says the state Democratic party has been having trouble recruiting candidates with a chance at beating Abbott.

Part of the challenge in attracting candidates is the intimidating war chest Abbott has built over the last three years. Despite having no viable opponent during that time, and being rated as a safe seat for Republicans, Abbott amassed $44 million in campaign funds, and has already spent $3.5 million since January, mainly on campaign offices, payroll, and advertising.

Virginia (2017)
Virginia also has a gubernatorial election on November 7th to replace a term-limited governor. Outgoing Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) will be likely be replaced by either Ralph Northam (D), the current Lt. Governor, or Ed Gillespie (R), a former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Northam appeared to have a considerable lead over Gillespie until recently, when polls showed a tightening race. Spending by Super PACs has played a major role in the campaign, with millions spent on television ads and mailers by a host of conservative and progressive groups in the last month of the race.

A recent Politico article detailed how both Democrats and Republicans have concerns about their candidates’ ability to motivate voters. Despite Democrats’ concerns, the article notes that Northam seems to have inspired a much greater level of enthusiasm among his base, as evidenced by the number of small value donations he has collected in the last month. Northam has amassed nearly 7,000 donations under $100 while Gillespie has only collected 2,700.

California (2018)
Governor Jerry Brown (D), currently serving his second term as governor, cannot run for re-election due to California term limits. Multiple Democratic candidates are running to replace him. Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom is considered to be the frontrunner, challenged by California Treasurer John Chiang, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Delaine Eastin, the former California Superintendent of Public Instruction.

On the Republican side, businessman John Cox and State Assemblyman Travis Allen have declared their candidacies.

California gubernatorial candidates have raised a collective $29.1 million in this election cycle as of June 30, when the most recent campaign finance summaries were due. Most of those funds have been controlled by Gavin Newsom, through past political campaigns and fundraising from the first half of the year.

An LA Times analysis in August broke down each candidate’s major fundraising sources. It revealed major differences in the regions, organizations, and groups that supported each candidate.

New York (2018)
Incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is currently the only gubernatorial candidate in New York state with reported contributions for 2017. Cuomo has nearly $7 million in 2017, in addition to the $21 million he brought into the year from prior fundraising.

Ohio (2018)
Current Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) is unable to run for re-election due to term limits. There are currently seven declared candidates with active committees running for the open seat, including four Republicans (Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, U.S. Representative Jim Renacci, and Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor) and three Democrats (former State Representative Connie Pillich, Ohio State Senator Joe Schiavoni, and former U.S. Representative Betty Sutton).

Michigan (2018)

The Michigan gubernatorial race is hotly contested, with six candidates seeking to replace outgoing governor, Rick Snyder (R), another term-limited incumbent. Currently, the Republican primary candidates consist of Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, Dr. Jim Hines, and state Senator Patrick Colbett. State Senator Gretchen Whitmer, businessman Shri Thanedar, and former Detroit Health Chief Abdul El-Sayed are all Democrats looking to retake the governor’s mansion for their party.

The wildcard in the race is current Lt. Governor Brian Calley, who has not announced his intentions to run, but could bring $1.1 million from his Lt. Gov. campaign committee into the race were he to run.

Florida (2018)
Rick Scott, the Republican Governor of Florida, is ineligible to run for re-election after serving two terms. Currently, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and State Senator Jack Latvala represent the major candidates on the Republican side.

Democratic challengers include Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, former US Representative Gwen Graham, and businessman Chris King. King contributed $1 million to his campaign in March.

The Orlando Sentinel expects that the makeup of this race could change at any moment, as Miami Beach Mayor Phillip Levine is widely expected to throw his name in the race soon. Once he enters, Levine, a wealthy businessman, is predicted to donate a significant amount from his personal wealth to his campaign.

Pennsylvania (2018)
Despite sharing similarities to Illinois, including population and a proclivity for budget impasses, the 2018 Pennsylvania governor’s race has not raised as much money or attention as the race in Illinois. Incumbent Governor Tom Wolf (D) will be running against State Senator Scott Wagner (R), attorney and former Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce head Laura Ellsworth (R), or Army veteran Paul Mango (R) in November.

Pennsylvania’s campaign disclosure system is unique among the states in this profile because candidates are only required to submit one report annually in non-election years. If the same disclosure system existed in Illinois, over $50 million in gubernatorial campaign contributions would not be public until January 31, 2018.

For Pennsylvania, this means there is no public information on fundraising numbers since the beginning of 2017. Below, we have listed the funds available for candidates with campaign committees at the end of 2016.

Wisconsin (2018)

Current Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has a firm hold on the Republican nomination for 2018, with no challengers and $3.5 million raised so far this year. None of Walker’s potential Democratic opponents have proven an ability to match his fundraising ability, with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers leading the field at $554,000 in the race. Evers’ opponents include state Senator Kathleen Vinehout, state Assemblyman Dana Wachs, and former California congressional candidate Bob Harlow.

Scott Walker was one of a handful of Midwestern governors to appear in a recent campaign ad aired by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.