Supreme Weekly: The cost of running for a Supreme Court
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February 3, 2011
by Katy Farrell This year, fifty-one candidates were in contested elections for nineteen Supreme Court seats in thirteen states. What follows is a comparative study of those races, based exclusively on financial reports filed by the candidates. All of the states had available data except Montana, so we will compare the remaining twelve states.
Here are some quick comparisons:
- The most expensive race was in Alabama, between incumbent Michael Bolin, Tracy W. Cary and Tom Edwards. The total cost of that race was $2,149,490.57.
- The least expensive race was in Minnesota, between incumbent Alan Page and Tim Tingelstad. The total cost of that race was $70,174.20.
- The state with the most expensive races this year was Alabama. The three campaigns for the Alabama Supreme Court collectively cost $4,241,090.57.
- The state with the least expensive election this year was Oregon. The one race cost $71,612. One reason is that the race was decided in the primary election, greatly reducing the length of the candidates' campaigns.
- The candidate that spent the most on a race is Michael Bolin in Alabama. He was actually the only judicial candidate to spend over one million dollars, with expenditures of $1,225,491.
- Several candidates tied in spending the least amount of money: $0. Those were three Libertarians and a Republican in Texas. They were William Bryan Strange, Tom Oxford, Jack Armstrong and Jeffrey Brown, respectively.
Alabama
Place 1
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelli Wise |  Republican |
Y | $762,000 | Wise was the SECOND highest spender in the Supreme Court elections. |
| Rhonda Chambers |  Democratic |
N | $304,000 |
Place 2
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Bolin | Republican |
Y | $1,225,491 | Bolin was the ONLY candidate to spend over $1 million. |
| Tracy W. Cary | Republican |
N | $759,000 | Cary was the THIRD highest spender and lost in the Republican primary. |
| Tom Edwards | Democratic |
N | $165,000 |
Place 3
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Parker | Republican |
Y | $519,000 | Parker was the FOURTH highest spender in the Supreme Court elections. |
| James R. Houts | Republican |
N | $8,600 | Houts was defeated in the Republican primary. |
| Eric Johnston | Republican |
N | $212,000 | Johnston was defeated in the Republican primary. |
| Mac Parsons | Democratic |
N | $286,000 |
Arkansas
Position 3
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courtney Henry | NP | Y | $657,451.83 | |
| John Fogleman | NP | N | $361,414.50 |
Position 6
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Baker | NP | Y | $340,439 | |
| Tim Fox | NP | N | $444,790.61 | |
| Evelyn Moorehead | NP | N | $15,999.30 | Moorehead lost in the primary election. |
Georgia
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Nahmias | NP | Y | $280,955 | |
| Tammy Lynn Adkins | NP | N | $16,231.06 | |
| Matt Wilson | NP | N | $33,575.00 | Wilson lost in the primary election. |
Idaho
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Burdick | NP | Y | $100,897.10 | |
| John Bradbury | NP | N | $68,417.31 |
Michigan
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert P. Young, Jr. | Republican |
Y | $834,170.07 | |
| Denise Langford-Morris | Democratic |
N | $450,276 | |
| Bob Roddis | Independent | N | No record on file. |
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Beth Kelly | Republican |
Y | $411,706.50 | |
| Alton Davis | Democratic |
N | $975,012 |
Minnesota
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helen Meyer | NP | Y | $156,308.73 | |
| Greg Wersal | NP | N | $38,222.20 | Wersal's final report was not posted. |
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Page | NP | Y | $30,984.46 | |
| Tim Tingelstad | NP | N | $39,189.74 |
North Carolina
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Jackson | NP | Y | $318,358.65 | |
| Robert C. Hunter | NP | N | $336,051.83 |
Ohio
Chief Justice
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maureen O'Connor | Republican |
Y | $895,043 | |
| Eric Brown | Democratic |
N | $592,573 |
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judith Ann Lanzinger | Republican |
Y | $844,047 | |
| Mary Jane Trapp | Democratic |
N | $531,623 |
Oregon
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Landau | NP | Y | $46,229 | |
| Allan J. Arlow | NP | N | $25,383 |
Texas
Place 3
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debra Lehrmann | Republican |
Y | $677,141.88 | |
| Jim Sharp | Democratic |
N | $164,485.53 | |
| Rick Green | Republican |
N | $153,593.08 | Green lost in the Republican primary runoff election. |
| Jeffrey Brown | Republican |
N | $0 | Brown lost in the primary election. |
| James Moseley | Republican |
N | $219,898.13 | Moseley lost in the primary election. |
| Rebecca Simmons | Republican |
N | $173,506.94 | Simmons lost in the primary election. |
| Rick Strange | Republican |
N | $64,193.91 | Strange lost in the primary election. |
| William Bryan Strange | Libertarian | N | $0 |
Place 5
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Green | Republican |
Y | $208,765.77 | |
| William Moody | Democratic |
N | $98,411.04 | |
| Tom Oxford | Libertarian | N | $0 |
Place 9
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eva Guzman | Republican |
Y | $92,464.31 | |
| Blake Bailey | Democratic |
N | $45,634.37 | |
| Jack Armstrong | Libertarian | N | $0 | |
| Rose Vela | Republican |
N | $218,621.04 | Vela lost in the primary election. |
Washington
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Johnson | NP | Y | $139,341.60 | |
| Stan Rumbaugh | NP | N | $137,890.46 |
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie Wiggins | NP | Y | $297,027.27 | |
| Richard Sanders | NP | N | $295,480.29 | |
| Bryan Chushcoff | NP | N | $1,194.60 | Chuscoff lost in the primary election. |
West Virginia
| Candidate | Party | Victorious (Y/N) | Total expenditures | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas E. McHugh | Democratic |
Y | $287,337.71 | |
| John Yoder | Republican |
N | $5,847.64 |
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ The Birmingham News, "Spending down in Alabama Supreme Court race," February 1, 2011
- ↑ Secretary of State, Search FCPA Reports
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, Financial Disclosure Search add candidate name and 2010
- ↑ Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, Campaign Reports and Registration Information, Tamela L. Adkins
- ↑ Followthemoney.org, Georgia 2010 High Court candidates
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, Campaign Financial Disclosure Report, Roger Burdick
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State, Campaign Financial Disclosure Report, John Bradbury
- ↑ Michigan Department of State, State Supreme Court, Committee Financial Disclosure Reports
- ↑ Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, Candidates, View Reports
- ↑ NC State Board of Elections, NC Campaign Report Search Enter candidate's name
- ↑ Followthemoney.org, Ohio 2010 High Court candidates
- ↑ Followthemoney.org, Oregon 2010 High Court Candidates
- ↑ Texas Ethics Commission, Search Campaign Finance Reports Search by candidate's name
- ↑ Washington Disclosure Commission, Judicial Candidates 2010 Search by candidate's name
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, Candidate Listing by Office, 2010 Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals
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