(The Center Square) – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Stein brought in nearly $4 million from out-of-state contributions in the second quarter in his campaign for the North Carolina governor’s mansion.
That’s 545% more than Republican opponent Mark Robinson’s $620,000.
This is according to campaign finance documents from the second fundraising period, which ended on June 30.
Stein is the state’s current attorney general, while Robinson is serving as lieutenant governor.
Out-of-state contributions made up 30% of all of Stein’s fundraising, while 60% of donors were from out of state, documents show.
California, Florida and New Jersey were the states sending Stein the most support.
These calculations do not include the 12,935 aggregated individual contributions to Stein, donors which are not required to list their addresses or names as each gift is less than $50.
Stein brought in $550,750 from aggregated individual contributions.
For Robinson’s campaign, Friends of Mark Robinson, out-of-state contributions made up just 13% of all of his fundraising, while 40% of donors were from out of state. Robinson brought in $4.2 million from in-state donations.
Robinson also received 12,935 aggregated individual contributions, bringing in $267,042 from those donors.
Stein’s out-of-state fundraising was up significantly from the first to the second quarter, as he brought in just over half a million dollars in the first quarter from out-of-state donors.
Overall, Stein’s fundraising has outpaced Robinson’s significantly, with Stein bringing in more than double the amount of money than Robinson.
Stein ended the second fundraising quarter with $15.9 million in the bank, while Robinson had $6.6 million.
Spending has also already been high.
At the beginning of the period, Stein had nearly $13 million, documents show. Over the second quarter, he spent $10.6 million and raised $13 million from individuals.
Robinson started the quarter with $4.5 million, spent $3 million, and raised $4.5 million from individuals.
While Robinson’s fundraising is trailing behind Stein’s, it is still historic.
According to Robinson’s campaign, the number of contributions continues to break records for any Republican governor candidate in North Carolina history.
Michael Lonergan, Robinson’s communications director, told The Center Square that the campaign is not surprised by the discrepancy between the candidates in out-of-state funding.
Jeff Allen, campaign manager for Stein, told The Center Square, “It’s no surprise that since Josh Stein has more in common with out-of-state liberals, and that he is more focused on raising campaign cash from them,” Lonergan said. “Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has broad grassroots support across North Carolina from people of all walks of life and he’s grateful to all who’ve contributed to his campaign so far.”
Jeff Allen, the campaign manager for Stein, said, “We’re grateful to the thousands and thousands of North Carolinians who chipped in to support Josh Stein’s campaign for a safer, stronger North Carolina. Headed into the final four months of this campaign, our supporters have put us in a strong position to underscore the clear choice facing voters in this election: Josh Stein, who will fight and deliver for North Carolinians, or Mark Robinson, who would fight job-killing culture wars.”
North Carolina is projected to have $362 million spent on political advertising in the 2024 election cycle, making it the 11th highest in the nation.
The governor’s race will likely contribute to that high spending.
Stein, who has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood, will also likely benefit from its planned targeted ad campaign looking to flip the state in favor of the Democrats.
