Finance Reports

Some campaign finance reports due in January were submitted late because filers had problems using the state's new online reporting system, according to the state Board of Elections. The online system was rolled out late last year, said Ross Goldstein, deputy state administrator of the board. Some people did not understand how to use it. “It's pretty different as far as the steps to file your report,” Goldstein said. “It was just a learning curve.” State administrator of elections Linda Lamone will recommend waivers of late fees associated with the technical difficulties, if a waiver is requested by filers, he said.

Sen. Brian E. Frosh took a more than 2-to-1 lead in the money race over another Democratic lawmaker known to be considering a race for attorney general in 2014, newly filed campaign finance reports show. Frosh, of Montgomery County, raised $241,021 last year and now has $390,655 on hand. Del. Jon S. Cardin, of Baltimore County, reported raising $108,839, bringing his total in the bank to $170,224. "It went very well. I was very encouraged," said Frosh, who has not been known as a prodigious fundraiser despite holding the chairmanship of one of only four standing Senate committees.

State prosecutors have filed criminal charges against 77 political candidates - including former Baltimore mayoral candidate Andrey Bundley - accusing them of violating election laws regarding campaign finance reports, according to the state prosecutor's office. Bundley; Scott Rolle, who ran for attorney general; city liquor board commissioner Elizabeth C. Smith; and Del. Jill P. Carter are among those facing charges, which could carry up to a year in jail and a $25,000 fine. Prosecutors said the alleged violators received criminal summonses, not warrants, charging them with failure to file campaign finance reports on time.

Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler, who is eyeing a run for governor, has $5.2 million in his campaign account, a formidable sum more than a year out from the 2014 primary election. Gansler, a Democrat, raised $1.2 million over the past year, aides said Tuesday. Potential candidates to succeed Gov. Martin O'Malley will file formal finance reports with the State Board of Elections on Wednesday. Early money is often viewed as a measure of strength for candidate -- a lot of it can ward off potential challengers.

The state prosecutor's office is investigating overdue campaign finance reports from two Baltimore County councilmen, both of whom say they are working to correct the problem. Councilman Kenneth N. Oliver, a Randallstown Democrat, said his campaign manager recently received a letter from the prosecutor alerting him to a missing campaign finance report and outstanding fines from late 2002 and early last year. Councilman John A. Olszewski Sr., a Dundalk Democrat, said he received a letter from the prosecutor about a missing report and outstanding fine from late 2002.

Baltimore County Executive Roger B. Hayden's political TC treasury has grown considerably since his shoestring 1990 election campaign, but his total is only second among those of his potential rivals for the job in 1994.Pikesville's County Councilman Melvin G. Mintz, D-2nd, is sitting on a $204,567 campaign fund, according to finance reports filed Monday, as compared with Mr. Hayden's total of $197,399.Council Chairman Charles A. Dutch Ruppersberger III, the only Democrat who is already campaigning to unseat Mr. Hayden next year, reported $133,694 on hand.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening's re-election campaign is saying no to requests for an electronic copy of his campaign finance report due this week. Ellen R. Sauerbrey, his likely Republican challenger, is saying yes.Robin O. Oegerle, the governor's campaign treasurer, cited technological obstacles and the fact that candidates are not legally required to provide copies of the reports on computer discs.She said that when the State Administrative Board of Elections adopts a standard format for electronic delivery of the annual finance reports, "We'll be one of the first to convert."

Name recognition isn't the only thing incumbents have over their potential challengers in this year's Annapolis city elections.The incumbents also have raised and spent more money. Lots of it, compared with most of their little-known opponents, who filed campaign finance reports yesterday that showed empty coffers.For example, Samuel Gilmer, a Democratic alderman from Ward 3, raised $5,282.66, spent $2,000 for a May 27 fund-raiser and slightly more than $2,000 more in postage, printing and other expenses, according to his report filed with the city Board of Elections.

It was just 24 hours after he'd learned that his only serious opponent in the Sept. 15 Democratic primary had dropped out of the race, but Gov. Parris N. Glendening was taking no chances.Sitting at a desk in his College Park campaign headquarters yesterday, Glendening methodically telephoned potential contributors to his campaign against Republican Ellen R. Sauerbrey in November. In some cases, to seal the deal on the spot, couriers were dispatched to pick up the checks.Similar scenes have played out in both camps in recent weeks, as candidates and staffs pressed to meet an important midnight deadline last night for state campaign finance reports.

The state prosecutor has filed charges against 13 people who failed to file campaign finance reports, violations that could lead to fines or jail time for political candidates and their aides. State Prosecutor Robert A. Rohrbaugh said yesterday that all the accused candidates and campaign treasurers were given repeated chances to comply with state law but have refused to do so. "If they ignore us and fail to come into compliance, then we file charges," he said. The alleged violations stem from reports that were due early this year, and Rohrbaugh said he expects he will file more charges against those who failed to submit reports due before and after the primary and general elections.

Democratic challenger John Delaney outraised longtime Republican Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett by a six-to-one margin in the first half of October, and had more cash on hand going into the final weeks of the campaign, according to finance reports released late Thursday. In the state's most competitive congressional race, Delaney raised more than $251,000 between Oct. 1 and 17, a period that included a Washington fundraiser headlined by Bill Clinton. He had $173,000 on hand. Bartlett, seeking an 11 th term in the Sixth District, which was redrawn last year to favor Democrats, raised less than $40,000 during the same period.

Incumbent Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett -- in the fight of his political career to keep his seat in Maryland's 6th Congressional District -- raised less money over the past three months than he did in the previous quarter, campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on Monday show. Bartlett, a Republican seeking an 11th term, raised just over $218,000 and had nearly $221,000 on hand at the end of September. That was less than he raised in the second quarter -- his best ever -- when he pulled in nearly $375,000.

WASHINGTON -- Maryland GOP Senate candidate Daniel Bongino will report raising at least $650,000 for his campaign since July, a significantly larger haul than he has had in any quarter since announcing his candidacy last year.    Bongino, who is running an underdog campaign against incumbent Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin, has been an aggressive candidate, but has lacked the financial resources needed to pose a serious threat to Cardin in deep blue Maryland. The latest number puts the former Secret Service agent in the same ballpark as Cardin for the first time.  "It shows momentum," Bongino said in an interview, noting that his campaign has doubled its fundraising over the past several quarters.

John Fritze's article, "Bartlett fumbles finance reports," (June 25) serves to point out once again the problems arising with politicians taking campaign contributions. There is only one answer to such a fiasco. Politicians should do what I do as a teacher of political science. In my last two campaigns, for governor in and for U.S. Senate, I made a commitment to refuse any campaign contributions whatsoever. On a budget by design of $450 for the 2010 campaign and $280 for the 2012 campaign, my vote total was 22,828 votes.

The number was untraceable - almost. On Election Night in 2010, The Baltimore Sun's switchboard lit up with reports of a suspicious "robocall": it told voters to relax, that President Obama and Gov.Martin O'Malley had been successful, and that there was nothing left to do but wait for the results. Those who called us said they believed the call was a trick to keep Democratic voters home, and one person provided the number from their caller ID. Naturally, The Sun wanted to know who was behind the call; Democrats including Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake immediately had tried to pin it on former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s campaign, but his camp vehemently denied it and the Republican party was calling for an investigation.

Democratic congressional candidate John Delaney outraised state Sen. Rob Garagiola by more than three-to-one and then loaned himself an additional $1.3 million this year, giving the Potomac banker a significant financial advantage in the competitive 6th Congressional District. With less than two weeks to go before the April 3 primary, Delaney reported raising $767,709 from contributors before the personal loan, campaign finance reports filed with Federal Election Commission at midnight Thursday showed.

The two leading candidates for Maryland governor have together spent nearly $10 million on television advertising and other media — with many of the expenditures logged in the past month and a half, according to campaign finance reports made public Saturday. Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley has spent more than twice as much on media as his Republican challenger, former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. Recent polls, including one published today by The Baltimore Sun, show O'Malley with a lead that political observers have attributed partly to his dominance on TV. Ehrlich paid more than $2.6 million for media in the past month and a half, his campaign finance report shows.

For years, the campaign finances of City Councilwoman Agnes Welch went unreported to the state. But it was her son, not the councilwoman, who paid the price. State officials said William A. Welch Jr., who filed false reports on his mother's behalf, was the only person who could be prosecuted. When he pleaded guilty last summer and $1,990 in late fees were paid up, the case was considered closed. But as the 21-year council veteran runs unopposed in the new 9th District in the Nov. 2 election, Welch's critics say she could and should be held responsible.

Democratic businessman John Delaney will report raising at least $739,000 in the past two and a half months, a sizable haul for the political newcomer whose campaign for Maryland's 6th Congressional District appears to be gaining momentum. Though Delaney contributed to his own campaign in the final quarter of last year, an aide said that the new figure represents only money raised from donors. The Potomac financer has been running television and radio ads for weeks and recently won endorsements from former President Bill Clinton, The Washington Post and state Comptroller Peter Franchot.

Some campaign finance reports due in January were submitted late because filers had problems using the state's new online reporting system, according to the state Board of Elections. The online system was rolled out late last year, said Ross Goldstein, deputy state administrator of the board. Some people did not understand how to use it. “It's pretty different as far as the steps to file your report,” Goldstein said. “It was just a learning curve.” State administrator of elections Linda Lamone will recommend waivers of late fees associated with the technical difficulties, if a waiver is requested by filers, he said.