Wide divide in

5th District money race
By Scott Nicholson
nicholson@wataugademocrat.com

Democratic challengers seeking to unseat incumbent Virginia Foxx for the 5th District congressional seat may not be facing million-to-one odds, but they must overcome a large war chest.

According to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission, Foxx had $990,798 in her campaign treasury at the end of 2007. The money only includes spending for the 2007-2008 election cycle, though Foxx carried more than half that money over from her previous campaigns.

Democratic challenger Roy Carter had $3,515 on hand at the end of the year, having raised $25,637 since announcing his candidacy last fall. Carter plans to formally file for the office on Feb. 11 in Ashe County, when the filing period for state and federal offices begins.

Democrat Diane Hamby, a former county commissioner in Iredell County, has yet to file a campaign report, having announced her candidacy last month.

Foxx raised $490,509 in the current election cycle and has spent $181,763. Thirty-one percent of her money came from political action committees while 62 percent came from individual donors.

All but $200 of Carter’s money, which was his personal contribution, came from individual donors.

In the 2006 race, Foxx outspent Democratic challenger Roger Sharpe, $741,381 to $97,747, though Sharpe spent some of that defeating three other candidates in the Democratic primary.

In 2004, when Foxx was a state senator, she survived a heated Republican primary as 10 candidates stepped forward to replace 10-year incumbent Richard Burr, who successfully ran for the U.S. Senate.

Foxx lost the primary but defeated Vernon Robinson in a runoff to earn the nomination.

Robinson spent $2.8 million, Edgar Broyhill III spent $2 million, Jay Helvey spent $1.4 million, Nathan Tabor spent $758,000 and Jim Snyder spent $382,000 in losing causes, while Foxx spent $1.1 million for the entire cycle, including the General Election.

Democratic candidate Jim Harrell of Surry County spent $384,000 in losing the 2004 race.

The data was compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics based on FEC filings.