Democrat raises $548,000 in 2018 race for SC governor

Democrat James Smith raised about $548,000 in his first three months as a candidate for S.C. governor.

Smith’s fundraising report, filed Wednesday before the midnight deadline, showed about $528,000 of that money came from individual donors. The state representative from Columbia said he raised most of that money – about 80 percent – from small donations of less than $100.

That can be important because a large number of small donations can indicate broad grassroots support. Small donors — whose contributions are not any where near the $3,500 maximum per election that a donor can give a candidate — also can give more later in a campaign.

“I am inspired by the more than 2,400 people that have invested in this campaign in the first three months since we entered the race,” said Smith, who entered the race in October. “I look forward to continuing to share my positive vision for South Carolina over the coming months with voters from all parts of the state.”

How much the candidates have to spend will matter in the final stretch of the 2018 campaign, when they are holding frequent campaign stops and airing expensive TV ads.

Smith’s sole opponent for the Democratic nomination so far, Charleston businessman Phil Noble, had not released any details about his fundraising early Wednesday evening.

How much S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster raised during the past three months of 2017 also was not available.

McMaster’s chief rival, Mount Pleasant attorney Catherine Templeton, raised $721,000 during 2017’s fourth quarter in her bid to win June’s GOP primary, surpassing the $602,874 she raised in the previous quarter, her campaign said Tuesday.

Two other Republicans actively are seeking the GOP nomination, and a third has opened a campaign account to explore a run. None has come close to competing with McMaster and Templeton in fundraising.

Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, reporting raising $45,815 from October through December, leaving him with $255,785 in cash to spend at the end of the year. Bryant’s campaign has raised about $400,000 so far.

Former state Sen. Yancey McGill of Williamsburg raised $23,607 in the final three months of 2017, including $4,607 of his own money. The former Democrat, who switched parties to run for statewide office, reported raising close to $500,000 total for his bid for governor. However, McGill has burned through nearly all of that money, leaving him with only $2,062 in cash on hand to close out the year.

Greenville financial adviser John Warren also has floated the idea of running for the GOP nomination, saying last month he had put $50,000 of his own money behind the effort. Warren did not report raising any additional money or spending any.

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 9:09 PM with the headline "Democrat raises $548,000 in 2018 race for SC governor."