Late-contribution reports provide the first glimpse of money flowing into the final two weeks of the Republican governor runoff, with fuller campaign finance reports due Monday.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The financial picture of Oklahoma’s Republican runoff for governor is beginning to emerge, with Mike Mazzei putting another $390,000 of his own money into his campaign while Gentner Drummond reported $16,500 from outside contributors.
The disclosures are among the first filings of the closing two weeks before the Aug. 25 runoff. Candidates must now quickly report larger contributions and loans, while more comprehensive campaign finance reports are due Monday.
Mazzei reported the $390,000 candidate self-loan Tuesday, adding to the nearly $11 million he previously put into his campaign.
He also reported three $3,500 individual contributions, bringing his newly disclosed receipts for Aug. 11 to $400,500. All but $10,500 of that came from Mazzei himself.
Drummond reported $16,500 from five individuals for Aug. 11 and no new loans.
That means Drummond raised more from outside donors in the first round of late filings — $16,500 compared with Mazzei’s $10,500 — while Mazzei’s additional self-financing gave him substantially more total money reported.
Late-money reports begin
The filings are known as Continuing Reports of Contributions, or CRCs. They provide a more immediate look at larger contributions during the closing stretch of a campaign than regular campaign finance reports.
The CRC reporting period for runoff candidates began Aug. 11. Candidates must file a report within 24 hours after accepting aggregate contributions, including loans, exceeding $1,000 from a contributor during the period, which continues through Aug. 23.
Mazzei’s three outside contributions came from Aaron Abbott, Eric DeMarco and Ronald Allford, each of whom gave $3,500.
Drummond reported $3,500 each from John Cresap, Jed Dillingham, Gwen Hayes and Theodore Wise. David Finer contributed $2,500.
The reports represent only contributions large enough to trigger the special late-reporting requirement and do not provide a complete picture of either campaign’s finances.
Fuller financial picture due Monday
That broader look will come with the candidates’ Pre-Runoff Primary Contributions and Expenditures Reports, which must be filed by Monday, Aug. 17.
Those reports cover campaign activity through Aug. 10 and will provide substantially more information about how much Drummond and Mazzei raised and spent leading into the final two weeks of the campaign, as well as the resources each had available for the stretch run.
The late-contribution reports will continue to fill in what happens after Aug. 10. New qualifying contributions and loans must continue to be disclosed through Aug. 23, two days before the runoff.
Together, the filings will provide an increasingly complete picture of the money behind the final phase of a governor’s race in which Mazzei has relied heavily on his personal wealth while Drummond has relied more heavily on contributions from donors.
The first day of late filings shows that distinction continuing.
