Republican Ellen Weaver on record-setting fundraising pace in SC superintendent race
Republican state superintendent nominee Ellen Weaver continues to smash fundraising records in her bid to become South Carolina’s next schools chief.
After reporting a five-week haul of more than $225,000 over the weekend, the conservative think tank CEO and former chairman of the state’s Education Oversight Committee has now brought in $553,000 this election cycle.
That’s roughly $150,000 more than any South Carolina education superintendent candidate has ever raised to this point in a campaign and about $330,000 more than outgoing schools chief Molly Spearman had raised at this point in her contested 2014 race, according to state Ethics Commission data.
It’s also more than eight times what Democratic nominee Lisa Ellis has raised to date.
Ellis, a high school teacher and student activities director, brought in $39,375 over the past five weeks to bring her fundraising total to more than $66,000 for the cycle, according to campaign finance reports.
While she lacks Weaver’s financial firepower, Ellis actually has raised more to this point in the race than any Democratic state superintendent candidate since 2010, and has spent significantly less of her haul than Weaver, who was forced into a costly runoff in the Republican primary.
As a result, Weaver holds only a 3-to-1 advantage in cash on hand, according to the latest filings.
That lead is likely to grow, however, as Weaver, who has honed her fundraising skills over the past nine years as head of the nonprofit Palmetto Promise Institute, capitalizes on her connections with deep-pocketed donors to replenish her campaign kitty.
Ryan Gillespie, Weaver’s campaign manager, said her prolific fundraising speaks to her ability to build the diverse coalitions necessary to reshape education in South Carolina.
The Ellis campaign, which concedes it cannot compete with Weaver on cash, has a different take on its opponent’s fundraising prowess.
“Weaver’s financial backers are PACs and individuals who would profit from the school voucher system for which she’s advocating,” Ellis spokesperson Leesa Danzek said. “So it’s no surprise to us that Weaver’s campaign coffers are so massive.”
Who is donating?
Beyond the enormous disparity in fundraising between the campaigns, the difference in the types of donors they’ve attracted and the size of their contributions is striking.
Weaver is favored by financiers, business executives and school choice advocates, many of whom are wealthy philanthropists with finance backgrounds.
After retirees, she’s gotten the most money from people who identify as CEOs, executives and homemakers — often the wives of wealthy businessmen — according to campaign finance data.
Only eight of her more than 750 donors identified as K-12 educators on campaign filings, and their combined $850 in contributions account for a tiny fraction of 1% of what she’s raised.
Ellis, on the other hand, has relied heavily on educators for campaign cash.
The SC for Ed founder has gotten roughly 700 contributions from teachers and other K-12 school employees, accounting for about half of her donations.
“Lisa’s roots are with students and their families, teachers, and educators, and these widely represent her donors,” said Danzek, who contrasted Ellis’ base of support with Weaver’s.
Gillespie said Weaver wasn’t ashamed to have business leaders in her corner because they understand the impact the state’s education system has on the economy and are committed to her goal of better preparing students to succeed in the future.
“Our education system is in crisis,” he said. “Turning it around will require an ‘all hands on deck’ effort from every sector of our state — not only educators — and Ellen’s unique ability to engage a broad spectrum of parents, business, education, community and faith leaders in her campaign is indicative of her leadership skills.”
The moneyed interests supporting Weaver’s candidacy have dropped large sums of cash into her campaign coffers, as evidenced by the stark contrast in average contribution size between the candidates.
Weaver has averaged $732 per donation, with 72 contributors giving the maximum amount allowable in an election cycle, according to campaign filings.
Ellis, who has garnered only seven contributions larger than $500 and a single max contribution, averages just over $49 per donation.
Who are the top contributors?
By state law, candidates may not accept more than $3,500 from individuals during an election cycle.
However, since each primary, runoff and general election is considered a separate election cycle and because donors can exceed contribution limits by passing money through limited liability companies — a practice known as the LLC loophole — contributors with means can pump far more than $3,500 into their chosen candidate’s campaign account over the course of an election year.
Weaver, for example, has already racked up at least $10,000 from seven individual donors and more than $3,500 from at least 17 others, according to campaign finance reports.
The combined donations of Weaver’s four largest contributors actually exceed the total amount Ellis has raised.
Weaver’s two top donors are Ben Navarro and Dan Adams, who each have contributed more than $20,000 to her campaign when contributions by their various companies and spouses are included.
Navarro is a Charleston-based billionaire investment banker who in 2018 tried to buy the Carolina Panthers. A longtime school choice advocate, Navarro founded a network of schools that serves under-privileged children in the Charleston area and has provided need-based college scholarships to local students.
Adams, an investment banker who serves as president and CEO of the Capital Corporation, sits on the board of Weaver’s think tank and is a University of South Carolina trustee.
Other top Weaver donors include charter school network CEO James Galyean and Columbia city councilman and former state Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor — who each gave $17,500 — and multimillionaire businessman John Warren, who challenged Gov. Henry McMaster in the 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary and now operates a political action committee that supports hardline conservative candidates.
In addition to the $10,500 Warren has given Weaver’s campaign, his PAC, South Carolina’s Conservative Future, also paid for multiple pro-Weaver ads in the run-up to the Republican primary.
Weaver also has picked up considerable financial support from local charter school owners and operators, as well as school choice advocates and organizations in other states.
Notable political donors to her campaign include former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, Weaver’s longtime boss; Republican U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, of Rock Hill; state Reps. Anne Thayer, R-Anderson, and Jason Elliott, R-Greenville; state Sen. Dwight Loftis, R-Greenville; and former state superintendents Mick Zais and Barbara Nielsen.
While McMaster didn’t publicly endorse Weaver in the GOP primary race or give to her campaign, his son, Henry Jr., gave her $100 shortly before her June 28 runoff with teachers advocate Kathy Maness, campaign filings show.
Ellis’ donors are far less conspicuous.
Dottie Adams, a Richland 1 teacher who sits on SC for Ed’s board, is her lone max contributor.
The most recognizable name on her donor list is Elliott Close, heir to the Springs Industries textile business. Close, a former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and minority owner of the Carolina Panthers, gave Ellis $3,000, and his sister, Frances, gave her $1,000, campaign finance reports show.
Ellis’ other top contributors are a Clarendon County bookkeeper, a former Richland County school administrator and a family member, records show.
“We’re always going to be underfunded because we’re teachers. And teachers are supporting (us),” she said in a recent interview with The State.
Rather than worrying about the massive fundraising disparity, however, Ellis said she plans to direct her attention to something she can control.
“We’re focusing on voter contact and just getting in front of people,” she said. “I think one of my talents is in talking to people and sharing what it’s like to be in the classroom.”
Editor’s Note: Henry McMaster Jr. donated $100 to Ellen Weaver’s campaign for state superintendent ahead of the runoff. An earlier version of this story published July 13 incorrectly said Gov. Henry McMaster made the donation.
This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 2:59 PM.