McKay leads all fundraising with $115,000 on hand

Dyson says he’ll make money go further

Friday, Aug. 18, 2006

The race between McKay and Sen. Roy Dyson is being closely watched in St. Mary’s and Annapolis. Republicans hope McKay (R) can knock off the ex-congressman in a district that has swung more to GOP registration in recent years with an influx of new residents, while Democrats think Dyson has worked hard over three terms to win re-election.

With about 10 weeks until the Nov. 7 general election, McKay has more than $115,000 in his treasury, compared to Dyson’s $37,000.

‘‘I don’t think this campaign is won or lost at this stage with the dollar numbers, but I think what you can tell from this is we have a broad base of support ... and we’re going to have the ability to march full-speed ahead until the end of the race,” McKay said.

Since the last financial reporting period in January, McKay has collected contributions from about 160 individual donors.

But Dyson (D-St. Mary’s, Calvert, Charles) contends that hard work will overcome the financial deficit. He said voters appreciate the homemade campaign signs that dot the county and the personal outreach that has become one of his hallmarks.

‘‘We don’t have the cash that they’re going to have, but we’re putting our heart and soul into this,” Dyson said.

And Dyson contends that he doesn’t need a large sum of funds to run an effective campaign.

‘‘I think I can make [the money] go further than anybody else can,” he said. ‘‘I have as much visibility out there as anyone and I can do it for one-tenth of the price.”

In the last seven months, McKay has outraised Dyson by a nearly 3-to-1 margin, and the state Republican Party, including Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R), has pledged to help its candidate. McKay received a $2,000 donation from the Support Our Governor Slate Committee, an account that has dished out money to nearly a dozen Republicans in competitive legislative races. McKay also reported donations from a variety of builders and developers.

Meanwhile, Dyson has received financial support from labor unions. More than 40 percent — or $7,650 — of his contributions in 2006 have come from trade organizations.

Political observers caution that fundraising totals can be deceiving at this stage, particularly since neither candidate faces primary opposition. ‘‘To a certain extent, the campaign really hasn’t begun yet,” said Zach Messitte, a political science professor at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, who noted that print and broadcast advertisements have been sparse so far. ‘‘I think they may really hit the gas after the [primary election on September] 12th.

Additionally, McKay’s financial advantage is unlikely to worry Dyson, whom Messitte called a ‘‘classic retail politico.”

‘‘He may not need that much money,” Messitte said.

In contests to represent St. Mary’s County in the House of Delegates, incumbents John L. Bohanan Jr. (D), John F. Wood Jr. (D) and Anthony J. O’Donnell (R) lead their challengers in fund raising and cash on hand by enormous margins.

E-mail Alan Brody at abrody@somdnews.com.