Sullivan’s Cash-Raising Counterpunch

NORTHAMPTON – With two weeks left in the race for Northwestern District Attorney, candidate David E. Sullivan has once again asserted his money-raising prowess, turning the tables on his opponent and setting a new fundraising standard for the election.

In the two-week period ending Aug. 31, the Sullivan campaign raked in $17,842, and spent $29,914, according to records posted on-line by the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance. During the same period, Sullivan’s opponent, Michael A. Cahillane, raised $6,268 and spent $18,478. The finance statements also show Sullivan’s campaign’s coffers are flush with $40,098 in the bank, while Cahillane’s report shows he has only $16,308 left in cash.

As soon as the periodic reports were posted today on the state website, Northampton Media analyzed both the receipts and expenditures for the two campaigns, as well as trends over the past month.

Former prosecutor Michael A. Cahillane at the Sept. 1 debate.

Sullivan and Cahillane, both Democrats, are on the Sept. 14 Democratic Party Primary ballot in Hampshire and Franklin Counties, and Athol, which is the geographical area described as the Northwestern District. The two candidates are seeking the post now held by longtime incumbent DA Elizabeth Scheibel, who said last year she would not seek another six-year term. With no Republicans on the Nov. 2 general election ballot, the Democratic primary winner will become the next DA in January.

Sullivan, 50, of Easthampton, has served as register of the Hampshire County Probate and Family Court since 2002; he announced for the DA’s job in January 2009. Cahillane, 40, of Northampton, was a top assistant DA in Scheibel’s office for a decade. In June 2009, he threw his hat into the ring for the DA’s job; he resigned from his prosecutor’s job this spring in order to campaign. The DA’s position pays $148,843-a-year, as required by state statute.

A Turnaround in Fundraising Fortunes and 11th-Hour Radio Ads

Michael Cahillane

Two weeks ago, Northampton Media reported that, although Sullivan has at times held an impressive fundraising edge and had more cash on hand than Cahillane, the two candidates had run dead even for about 11 weeks, from Memorial Day through mid-August. (See “DA Hopefuls Slug It Out for Dollars,” posted Aug. 18.) That story highlighted Cahillane’s having raised $17,462 in the first two weeks of August, compared to $4,796 for Sullivan; Cahillane also outspent Sullivan by more than 2 to 1, about $9,000 to $4,000.

At the time, Cahillane’s early August fundraising binge was the most in any two-week period for either candidate since January 2009.

In the two weeks since that mid-August report was filed, however, Sullivan raised even more. His $17,842 almost three times his opponent’s  $6,268, and he held a big edge in both receipts and spending of about $11,000 since Aug. 16.

By far the largest expenditures for each candidate were on advertising — almost $30,000 combined for the two campaigns – Northampton Media found during a close look at the latest two-week period. About two-thirds of that amount, or $21,000, was spent on radio ads.

During the reporting period, Cahillane spent more than $12,500 on media ads, including $4,318 with the Daily Hampshire Gazette, and the rest with six radio stations covering Hampshire and Franklin Counties, state records show. He also spent about $5,300 on fundraising, including lawn signs, so-called “robo-call” telephone calling, mailing and printing costs.

Sullivan’s campaign spent over $17,100 on advertising, about $3,900 of that on print ads ($1,709 with the Gazette, $1,221 with the Greenfield Recorder, and $562 with the Springfield Republican), and the rest, $13,220, with eight radio stations broadcasting in the two counties. Sullivan also spent $2,250 on political and campaign consultants (including $500 for website maintenance), according to the state finance reports.

David Sullivan

On the fundraising side during Aug. 16-25, Sullivan’s campaign listed 125 donors, seven of whom gave $500: teacher Mary Bates of Florence; lawyer Michael Hooker of Northampton; both Roger and Ann McNamee (self-employed musicians) of Woodside, Cal.; both Alan and Nina Miles (a self-employed legal recruiter and finance offer, respectively) of Santa Monica, Cal.; and Jeanne Schubmehl, an occupational therapist, of Florence. Attorney Carl Russo of Northampton gave $400.

Cahillane’s list for the two-week period listed 56 contributors, 18 of whom gave $100 or more, but only two who donated $500: retiree Alfred Griggs of Northampton; and Northwestern DA Elizabeth (Scheibel) Boudreau of South Hadley. Scheibel’s husband, Paul Boudreau (who listed a South Hadley post office box), gave $400. Among contributors giving $200 to the Cahillane campaign were: Pamela Harlow of Northampton, owner of Harlow Builders; Diane Poole of East Longmeadow (no occupation listed); William Cahillane of Virginia (no job description); and Charles Austin of South Hadley (no job description).

Another report, summarizing total campaign finances to date, is due eight days before the election.

Sullivan’s Fundraising Head Start

Sullivan, elected register of probate in 2002 and 2008, had about $12,000 in campaign cash in January 2009, when he declared his candidacy for the DA job. Over the next five months, he raised another $30,000 and spent about $20,000 , all before Cahillane joined the race. Over the last seven months of 2009, Sullivan raised more than $41,000 and spent $30,000, while Cahillane raised about $32,000 and spent $12,000.

So far in 2010, Sullivan has raised almost $90,000, about 1.6 times Cahillane’s receipts of about $55,000. On the spending side, Sullivan also sports a hefty lead, having shelled out about $85,000 this calendar year compared to Cahillane’s $59,000.