2 Democrats running for SC governor close in cash they have to spend in primary

Two Democrats running for S.C. governor are entering their primary campaign's homestretch running neck and neck in the amount of cash they have on hand to spend in June's contest.

Democratic state Rep. James Smith of Columbia raised $403,079 from January through March, leaving him with $622,415 on hand to spend in his bid to win his party's nomination.

Florence antitrust attorney Marguerite Willis reported raising $598,055 in 2018's first quarter and finishing March with $542,458 left to spend. The most recent Democratic candidate to enter the race, Willis has given her campaign about $178,000 and also taken out a $300,000 loan.

The quarterly fundraising report for Charleston business consultant Phil Noble, also seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, was not yet available as of Monday afternoon.

The campaign reports were due to be filed last Tuesday at midnight. However, some campaigns reported having technical difficulties filing their reports online with the State Ethics Commission.

This story was originally published April 16, 2018 at 10:11 AM with the headline "2 Democrats running for SC governor close in cash they have to spend in primary."