THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, April 23, 1996 TAG: 9604230386
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 122 lines
State Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare, raised far and away more money than any other legislative candidate in 1995.
A report issued Monday by the Institute For Southern Studies at Durham shows that Basnight raised $243,966, almost three times as much as the next candidate on the list, Rep. Charles B. Neely Jr., R-Wake. House Speaker Harold Brubaker, R-Randolph, was third with $76,262.
Basnight, who faces no opposition in either the May 7 primary or the November general election, has crisscrossed the state for months on behalf of Democratic senatorial candidates. The party controls the General Assembly's upper chamber by a 26-24 margin.
Basnight spokesman Bret Kinsella said in Raleigh that the money was raised in anticipation of Republican opposition in the general election. Republican Chuck Elms of Manteo entered the race, but later withdrew.
``Part of the reason we raised the money was in preparation for the 1996 election,'' Kinsella said when contacted in Basnight's office in the capital. ``There is a possibility that he could still have Republican opposition in November.
The First District Republican Executive Committee could appoint a candidate to challenge Basnight. But for the moment, the unopposed senator is traveling the back roads of North Carolina for Senate candidates.
``The senator has made a commitment to campaign vigorously for Democratic candidates, because he thinks it's critical,'' Kinsella said. ``When you look at what the Republicans are saying about cutting state funding to education and to the environment, it's important that the Democrats maintain the majority.''
Kinsella said that Basnight's efforts to fund programs like the Natural Heritage Trust Fund, and more education funding for the state's poorer counties, could be in danger if the Republicans take control.
``Everyone is well aware that eastern North Carolina has suffered in terms of roads and infrastructure. But we believe counties like Gates, Hyde and Tyrrell would really suffer, if the Republicans take control,'' Kinsella said. ``Level funding has allowed children in those counties to have a greater educational opportunity and reach their potential.''
According to the institute's study, 8 percent of Basnight's funds came from Political Action Committees. Some 13 percent came from individual contributors giving between $500 to $999. Fifty-six percent of the contributions came from individuals who gave $1,000 or more.
In 1993, Basnight raised 57 percent of his money from PACs and $500-plus donors. In sharp contrast, Brubaker raised only $350, with $50 coming from one PAC, in 1993 when the state House was controlled by Democrats. The Republicans grabbed control in 1994 and named him the speaker.
And in 1995, Brubaker collected $76,262, with 82 percent from PACs, donors of $500 or more, and from big donors to a special joint fund-raising committee he sponsored with Rep. David Miner, R-Wake.
In recent years, contributions and spending have skyrocketed in General Assembly races. Total contributions across the state in 1989 were $294,621. In 1995, legislative candidates garnered nearly seven times that amount, $1.98 million.
Bob Hall, a senior research analyst at the independent think tank, said a variety of factors have contributed to the boom in campaign bucks.
``First, there is the underlying trend of more expensive campaigning,'' Hall said. ``There is a growing belief that high-tech campaigning is the way to go. Using consultants, polling and more expensive media is driving the demand side up.''
Another factor, Hall said, is the view that since the Democrats hold a narrow majority in the Senate, and the Republicans have only recently gained an advantage in the House, both chambers are up for grabs. With the power to control committee appointments on the line, party organizers are beating the bushes for funds.
Two new PACs, the North Carolina Committee and the Democrats' North Carolina Senate Leadership Committee, did not exist in 1993. In 1995, however, they raised more than $200,000.
Hall said there has also been a marked increase in contributions from individual business people who see an opportunity to influence issues like environmental regulation, legal reform and taxes.
``You see an increase in individual officers and directors of businesses who have a financial stake in what happens in Raleigh,'' Hall said. ``There is a feeling that business is coming together in an effort to roll back the corporate income tax, change environmental regulations, bring about tort reform, and change workers' compensation laws.''
Among the largest corporate contributors, the study reported, were the NC Realtors PAC, Sprint Corp. Mid-Atlantic PAC, NationsBank Corp. of North Carolina PAC and CP&L State PAC.
The top 15 business PACs nearly tripled their spending from 1993. In 1995, the PACs spent $755,000 and had $337,000 left for the '96 campaign. Banks, insurance, utilities and construction interests topped the list.
Professional PACs included on the list include: The North Carolina Association of Educators, the State Employees Association, the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers and the North Carolina State Optometric Association. Last year, professionals raised $626,000, spending $330,000.
The Durham-based research group used reports filed at the State Board of Elections. Voters can expect a blizzard of campaign mailings and commercials this fall. But Patricia Watts, the executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, said that while candidates may be the big winners, the average voter may be the loser.
``The worst part of it is that so much of the money being raised comes with strings attached,'' she said. MEMO: TOP FUND RAISERS
The top 10 fund raisers among North Carolina legislative incumbents
in 1995, not including loans:
1. Sen. Marc Basnight, D-Dare $243,966
2. Rep. Charles B. Neely Jr., R-Wake $87,089
3. Rep. Harold J. Brubaker, R-Randolph, $76,262
4. Sen. David W. Hoyle, D-Gaston, $75,265
5. Sen. Daniel E. Page, R-Harnett, $49,319
6. Rep. Danny McComas, R-New Hanover, $45,586
7. Sen. Aaron W. Plyler, D-Union, $44,819
8. Rep. David Miner, R-Wake, $44,718
9. Rep. Wilma M. Sherill, R-Buncombe, $43,843
10. Rep. Richard T. Morgan, R-Moore $38,083
(Source: Institute for Southern Studies, Durham)
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by DREW C. WILSON, The Virginian-Pilot
N.C. Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight raised $243,966, almost
three times as much as the next candidate on the list.
KEYWORDS: CAMPAIGN FINANCING CONTRIBUTIONS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
FUND RAISING by CNB