72% of 2014 Gubernatorial Campaign Expenditures Spent Out of State
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
While each candidate for Governor talks about creating jobs in Rhode Island, campaign spending reports show that they are actually great at investing their donors' millions in businesses in the District of Columbia, California and Virginia.
Nearly three-quarters of the $8.9 million spent by the five gubernatorial campaigns over the course of the 2014 election cycle has gone to out of state political consultants, media buyers, and direct mail vendors.
With less than three weeks to go until primary day, the gubernatorial candidates are vying to convince voters that he or she is best equipped to foster job creation and economic growth in the state of Rhode Island, at a time when the state continues to lag behind the rest of the country economically.
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Where is the money going?
SEE GUBERNATORIAL CAMPAIGN EXPENDITURE TABLE BELOW
PELL: “…We need to invest in our future again…” – “Invest Here” TV Ad
Clay Pell has spent nearly $1.4 million on media buys with the Washington, DC-based media buying firm Buying Time LLC since entering the race for Rhode Island governor. To date, the Pell campaign has also spent hundreds of thousands on Washington DC-based political consulting and media firms.
RAIMONDO: “…Turning our economy around means making things in Rhode Island again…” - “Back To Work” TV Ad
Gina Raimondo has paid the San Francisco-based Democratic Media firm Blue West Media a total of $1.3 million for broadcast, network and cable television advertising buys since the beginning of the cycle, and nearly half a million on direct mail and advertising consulting services from Washington DC-based firms Petel & Co. and Putnam Partners.
TAVERAS: “…Me, I’ll take Main Street in Rhode Island over Wall Street any day…” - “Main Street” TV Ad
Angel Taveras has spent $700,000 on consulting services with Washington, DC-based strategic communications firm, SKD Knickerbocker.
BLOCK: “…We will put money back in your pocket and together we can fix Rhode Island…” - “Town Hall” TV Ad
Ken Block has paid New Providence, NJ –based Jamestown Consultants more than $100,000 since the beginning of the election cycle. Jamestown Consultants is a full-service Republican political consulting firm specializing in direct mail, television and radio production, and general strategic consulting.
FUNG: "I became mayor of Cranston, where I froze taxes for 3 years, saved millions reforming public pensions, and helped create 1,000 jobs…I’ll do the same as governor." - “Open For Business” TV Ad
Allan Fung has paid Ohio-based Strategic Media $127,000 in consulting fees. As GoLocal previously reported, Fung's latest campaign ad, "Open for Business," touts Fung's experience as Mayor of Cranston and vision for Rhode Island -- and based on photographic and campaign finance evidence, was deemed to have been shot in Columbus, Ohio.
Many RI vendors are shut out
Rhode Island businesses that specialize in similar business services that the gubernatorial campaigns are purchasing out-of-state weighed in.
“When you start talking about growing jobs and businesses and supporting the local economy, you need to look first to having your needs supplied by the people in the state that you are looking to take office in. Going elsewhere is contradictory and hypocritical,” said Richard Lallo from Colonial Printing, a family owned and operated business located in Warwick.
As of the July unemployment numbers, Rhode Island continues to trail the rest of the country. RI’s economy is tied for 48th in the U.S., with an unemployment rate of 7.7%. Only Georgia and Mississippi have higher rates.
“While I’m not surprised [by the millions of dollars that have been spent by the gubernatorial campaigns outside Rhode Island this election cycle] I would say that they are all missing an opportunity to tap into some wonderfully talented printers, analysts, videographers, web designers, and marketing professionals who share their passion for the future of the state of Rhode Island,” said Steve Cronin, President & CEO of Mercury Print and Mail, a Pawtucket-based company specializing in a wide array of marketing, advertising, print and mailing services.
“The candidates usually don’t pick us because we are not their least expensive option and we are not a union shop. That being said, they should pick a Rhode island shop,” said Bob Nangle, President of East Greenwich-based Meridian Printing.
Polls in Rhode Island show that the most important issue to voters is jobs and the economy.
“I would like to see candidates [running for office in Rhode Island] make a pledge to only use in state vendors. My feeling is that it can be done here in the state, it should be done here in the state. We have the printers in Rhode Island, and they should be chosen to do the jobs,” said Lallo.
“What we are seeing is a ground swell of campaign spending going to out-of-state consultants this cycle. I cannot help but be critical of these candidates who are running for Governor saying they are going to improve the economy when they are not tapping into talent in the state on their own campaigns,” said veteran Rhode Island pollster Victor Profughi.
CAMPAIGN SPENDING: 2014 GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION CYCLE (JANUARY 1, 2011 – AUGUST 11, 2014)
To tabulate the percentage of campaign expenditures that have gone to out-of-state vendors, GoLocal analyzed each quarterly campaign activity report filed by each of the five gubernatorial campaigns with the Rhode Island Board of Elections since the beginning of the 2014 Gubernatorial Election Cycle dating back to January 2011, and isolated each reported expenditure that was made to an individual or organization outside of the state of Rhode Island.
The table below highlights total out of state spending by each of the five gubernatorial campaigns as a percentage of total spending by each campaign.
Related Slideshow: Money Raised and Spent in RI Gubernatorial Campaigns since 2006
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