Doug Turner (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Turner said in July that he was spending “considerable” personal money as he prepared to run for governor. Today, his finance report proved that’s exactly what he’s done.
Turner raised just under $342,000 during the last reporting period, with the bulk of it – about $243,500 – coming in the form of loans from Turner to his campaign. That’s according to the cover page of Turner’s finance report, which he released today after filing the report with the secretary of state’s office.
Turner also reported a little more than $86,000 in in-kind contributions, so actual cash donations from individuals added up to less than $12,000 between May and October. He spent almost $45,000 during the reporting period and ended it with $211,000 on hand, according to his report.
“I’ve spent my time traveling and meeting people. As soon as we kick off the campaign we’ll be staffed up and I’ll be fundraising in earnest,” Turner said in an interview. “I also think that it’s important for voters out there and people looking for a candidate to look for someone who is earnest about what they’re doing. I’ve spent the time meeting people and I’ve told them all the same thing that I’m telling you: This is all self-funded. Anyone who’s relying on Heather Wilson’s donors is probably not planning properly.”
Turner has not formally announced his candidacy but has confirmed that he’s running.
Turner opponent Allen Weh reported earlier today that he raised almost $560,000 in the last reporting period, with almost half of that coming in the form of a personal loan from Weh and his wife to the campaign.
The other two Republican gubernatorial candidates have not released information about their reports.