28 Days Until the Election- Smith Raises More Than $78,000 in April

Smith has some interesting donors on his May 16 filing (which covers the month of April), so we’ll start there as we add it all up to $78,000, which averages out to about $2,500 a day.

Since Smith hasn’t loaned himself a wad of money for campaign expenses, that’s a lot of support-- and a lot of supporters.  111 by our count, with an average donation of slightly more than $700.

$150 of that was a contribution from Smith himself, bringing his total to $100 in loans and $150 in donations to the campaign.

One of Smith’s donors was a gentleman by the name of Harry Potter, with an address in Tulsa.  So it must be comforting for Smith to know that if Volde--- I mean, "he who must not be named"--- comes after him, he’s got an English teen wizard on his side.  We did verify that there is a real guy named Harry Potter that lives at that address, but it’s still kinda funny and made us chuckle.

Funny in a different way are three separate anonymous cash donations, totaling $499.  That sent us scrambling for the election law, which does indeed have a section on anonymous contributions (page 18, Section 44 E).  It basically says that you can keep up to $1000 in anonymous cash contributions as a candidate, but you have to report it, and after you top $1000 you have to give it to the election commission for them to ‘pay for the cost of subsequent elections.’  We’re guessing if they ever get someone honest enough to fork over the additional anonymous cash that they’ll throw a big pizza party with the extra money, but we’re not holding our breath and we bet the election commission isn’t either. 

So that raises a good point:  should we be suspicious of a candidate that reports anonymous cash donations, or should we be suspicious of candidates that don’t?

And you know how we are always asking you to point out truth that needs to be told?  Reader Robin McClain Smith gets credit here for pointing out that 9 separate doctors all decided on the exact same day to give Smith’s campaign $1363.63.  And on the same day, another doctor gave exactly twice that amount, $2,727.26.  Which adds up, by our math, to $14,999.93.  So, if they all agreed as a group to give $15,000, they are seven cents short. 

Tomorrow:  Baker’s contributors.