Gov. Snyder Has $869,000 Edge Over Schauer In Race

By David Eggert, Associated Press

LANSING (AP) — Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has maintained his long-running financial advantage over Democratic challenger Mark Schauer, reporting an $869,000 lead Thursday at the latest campaign finance deadline.

Snyder had nearly $2.9 million in the bank as of Aug. 25. Schauer had about $2 million.

The first-term governor's campaign has raised $651,000 since the last reporting deadline in mid-July. Schauer's campaign took in $514,000, including about $40,000 in remaining public campaign funds he was eligible to receive before the August primary.

The Snyder camp said it recently spent $2.2 million to air TV ads that began Tuesday and will run throughout September. "Resources matter," and the campaign is well-positioned because the money will let it communicate to voters about job creation and a bipartisan deal to help Detroit emerge from bankruptcy, spokeswoman Emily Benavides said.

Schauer spokeswoman Cathy Bacile Cunningham said the Democrat "has the momentum and is in a strong position" to win in November because voters are unhappy with Snyder because of cuts to education funding and increased taxes on retirees.

While Schauer has raised less overall than Snyder, he's gotten more independent help from the Democratic Governors Association than Snyder has from its GOP counterpart. The DGA outspent the Republican Governors Association in Michigan during the first eight months of this year by $1.4 million, according to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, a watchdog group. The organization also reported Wednesday that Schauer spent $823,000 to run his first ads last month.

Big donors to Schauer during the most recent reporting window included the Service Employees International Union Local 79 political action committee and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which each gave $34,000.

Snyder, who does not accept PAC money, took in the maximum $6,800 from more than a dozen business executives and others.

Before Snyder's campaign and the Democratic governors group began new ad campaigns this week, about $10 million had been spent on TV ads in the race in 2014. The RGA also is currently airing a TV ad, while Schauer is not.

Schauer's campaign and his allies spent more than $5.6 million running ads through Labor Day. Snyder's campaign and his allies spent nearly $4.4 million, according to the campaign finance watchdog.

Snyder's new ad is the first of several that he is expected to air continually from now until the election — a move the GOP is hoping will help the better-funded governor pull away in the final 60 days from Schauer, a former congressman and state lawmaker.

Polls this summer have shown the candidates about even.

An EPIC-MRA poll of 600 likely voters surveyed Aug. 22-25 had Schauer with 45 percent support, Snyder 43 percent and 12 percent as undecided. The sampling error margin was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

All told, Snyder had raised almost $10 million and spent nearly $8.7 million during the election cycle as of last week, though some of that was to repay some of the money he loaned his 2010 campaign. Schauer's campaign said he had taken in about $4.9 million — nearly $1 million in public money — and spent roughly $2.8 million.

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