State Representative Candidates Reach Into Own Pockets

The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance has released its pre-election reports for 2008.
The OCPF requires three campaign finance reports from candidates for the state Legislature: a pre-primary report covering all receipts and expenditures the period between January 1 and August 29; a pre-election report covering August 30 through October 17; and a year-end report covering October 18 through the end of the year.
The four candidates running for state representative of the Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket District relied heavily on money from their own bank accounts, more than any other local legislative race; of the $47,130 raised by the candidates, $30,450 (64 percent of the total donations) is listed as self-donations made during the pre-election period.
Daniel J. Larkosh of West Tisbury had $1,228 left over from his primary campaign and added to that $30,750, $25,000 of which came out of his own pocket. He made another $1,300 in in-kind donations to himself. Mr. Larkosh had spent $31,279 as of October 17.
Unenrolled candidate Timothy R. Madden, who ran a write-in campaign during the primaries, began the period with $7,275 and raised $7,195. All but four of his 38 donors listed Nantucket addresses. His liabilities include a $10,000 loan to himself, made back in March.
Melissa C. Freitag of Falmouth, an unenrolled candidate, raised $4,535 in the pre-election period, bringing her total campaign account up to $5,095. Of that, $2,450 was her own money. She has spent $3,888.
Unenrolled candidate Jacob Ferreira of Vineyard Haven raised $4,700, just over $3,000 of which is his own money, to bring his campaign war chest up to $5,346. One of his donors is Christy Mihos, a former independent candidate for governor in 2006.
Matthew C. Patrick (D - Falmouth), state representative of the Third Barnstable District, raised a modest $6,990 in the pre-election period, bringing his total campaign account up to $28,676. He spent $15,455 between August 30 and October 17.
His opponent, unenrolled candidate Carey M. Murphy of Waquoit, made great strides in boosting his campaign account in the pre-election period, raising $9,850 and bringing his total up $10,874. Two of his noteworthy donors were William B. (Brad) Crowell, Republican candidate for Barnstable County Board of County Commissioners, and Glenn G. Wattley, CEO of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound.
Glenn S. Paré of Sandwich, Democratic candidate for the Fifth Barnstable District, ended the pre-election period with $11,218 in donations, and as of October 7 had spent $9,640. Notable donations during the pre-election period include from the Congressman William D. Delahunt Political Action Committee ($500) and Sheila R. Lyons of Wellfleet, Democratic county commissioner candidate.
His incumbent opponent, State Representative Jeffrey D. Perry (R - Sandwich) boasted about five times as much money in his campaign war chest. Mr. Perry took in $25,618 during the pre-election period and as of October 17 had $56,648 total, of which he had spent $33,138.
All other members of the Upper Cape’s legislative delegation—Senate President Therese Murray, State Senator Robert A. O’Leary (D - Barnstable), and State Representative Susan D. Williams Gifford (R - Wareham)—did not have opponents in the general election.