ME: the Gubernatorial Fundraising Race

The Augusta Insider considers the fundraising situation for the many independent gubernatorial candidates in the Pine Tree State:

There are eight unenrolled candidates for governor. Five of them have declared as privately financed candidates, while six of them are seeking clean election money. So how are they doing in the money race? Well, except for Eliot Cutler, they’ve all missed the starting gun.

The privately-financed Cutler has raised $266,485 and spent $183,159.58, for $83,325.42 cash-on-hand. This puts him about on par with Rosa Scarcelli, who had about $85,000 cash-on-hand, and gives him more cash than Paul LePage, Matt Jacobson, John Richardson, and Libby Mitchell. Steven Rowe, Bruce Poliquin, and Les Otten all have more cash-on-hand than Cutler. In other words, Cutler is not only raising money, he’s seriously competing with the major-party candidates and their fundraising – no mean feat. The other independent candidates? Not so much.