Combined fund-raising by county political parties through September 30 is up just one percent but joint spending is up 15 percent compared to 2015, the last election when Assembly candidates were alone on the ballot, according to the latest reports filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC).

Jeff Brindle, ELEC’s Executive Director, said “While county party fund-raising may not be in absolute free-fall, it is well below totals during the previous decade. For instance, county party committees together raised 34 percent less this year than the $7.4 million raised in 2009,” he said.

“The fund-raising trendline continues to indicate weakness in the state’s political party system,” he said.

Table 1 Summary of Campaign Finance Activity by County Committees

January 1 through September 30, 2019 Versus 2015

2019 RAISED SPENT CASH-ON-HAND NET WORTH*

Democratic County Party Committees $2,896,072 $3,135,430 $2,165,784 $2,007,596
Republican County Party Committees $1,994,802 $1,938,038 $ 792,701 $1,218,274

Total-Both Parties $4,890,874 $5,073,468 $2,958,486 $3,225,870

2015 RAISED SPENT CASH-ON-HAND NET WORTH*
Democratic County Party Committees $2,900,986 $2,586,700 $1,266,910 $1,089,629
Republican County Party Committees $1,942,512 $1,590,156 $ 856,891 $1,727,162

Total-Both Parties $4,843,498 $4,176,856 $2,123,801 $2,816,791

Difference 2019 versus 2015 RAISED SPENT CASH-ON-HAND NET WORTH*
Democratic County Party Committees -0.2% 21% 71% 84%
Republican County Party Committees 3% 22% -7% -29%
Total-Both Parties 1% 21% 39% 15%
*Net worth is cash-on-hand adjusted for debts owed to or by the committee.
1 There is one special election for the state Senate in the 1st legislative district.

Democratic fund-raising is down 0.2 percent while spending is up 21 percent. Democrats have 66 percent larger cash reserves than in 2015. Republican fund-raising is up three percent and spending is up 22 percent.

Republican cash-on-hand is down seven percent.

Brindle said Democratic officials may have felt less fund-raising pressure during the quarter because their combined cash reserves are triple those of Republicans.

“You always want to approach the election with more cash in the bank than your opponents. From that
standpoint, Democratic county parties as a group have an advantage this quarter,” said Brindle.

The $2.9 million in combined cash-on-hand is smaller than reserves reported at this point in 2018, when
there were federal elections, and in 2017, when there was a gubernatorial election and all 120 legislative seats were in contention. Notably, it is larger than previous cash reserves dating back to 2009.

County Party Fundraising and Spending through Third Quarter 2008-2019

YEAR RAISED SPENT CASH-ON-HAND STATE OR FEDERAL STATEWIDE ELECTION
2009 $7,398,692 $6,375,763 $2,952,853 State G/A
2010 $4,526,290 $4,393,487 $2,365,419 Federal H
2011 $4,798,299 $3,694,423 $2,134,219 State S/A
2012 $3,662,456 $3,189,326 $1,573,648 Federal P/S/H
2013 $5,319,655 $4,447,403 $2,456,395 State G/S/A
2014 $4,410,348 $3,764,798 $1,980,600 Federal S/H
2015 $4,843,498 $4,176,856 $2,123,801 State A
2016 $4,199,012 $3,625,063 $2,328,583 Federal P/H
2017 $6,661,677 $5,527,347 $3,266,399 State G/S/A
2018 $5,769,747 $4,793,929 $3,571,919 Federal S/H
2019 $4,890,874 $5,073,468 $2,958,486 State A
P=Presidential; S=US or State Senate; H=House; G=Gubernatorial; A=Assembly

Bipartisan changes are necessary to make it easier for all parties to raise funds, Brindle said. “We need to
try to reverse the flow of funds away from parties, which are accountable and transparent, to independent special interest groups that often operate in the dark,” he said.

Reforms pending in the legislature that could help include ending the complexity of pay-to-play laws by
creating one state law, raising the contribution limit for public contractors from $300 to $1,000, and raising contribution limits for county parties and other parties and candidates.

“Except for gubernatorial candidates, party and candidate contribution limits have not been raised since
2005 even though inflation has gone up nearly 32 percent during that period,” Brindle said.

COUNTY PARTIES 3RD QUARTER 2019 October 30, 2019
Among Democratic county committees that have filed their quarterly reports, Bergen, Camden,
Gloucester, Mercer, Passaic, Salem and Union reported cash balances above $100,000.
Monmouth reported a negative cash balance.

Campaign Finance Activity of Democratic County Party Committees

January 1 through September 30, 2019

COUNTY RAISED SPENT CASH-ON-HAND NET WORTH*
Atlantic $ 87,458 $ 84,587 $ 9,379 $ 9,379
Bergen $ 398,456 $ 236,759 $ 201,675 $ 184,043
Burlington $ 99,571 $ 166,822 $ 14,286 $ (3,293)
Camden $ 233,724 $ 436,132 $ 409,414 $ 409,414
Cape May $ 61,666 $ 43,043 $ 19,582 $ 19,582
Cumberland $ 22,073 $ 28,424 $ 5,287 $ 5,287
Essex $ 256,882 $ 277,114 $ 87,888 $ 87,888
Gloucester $ 184,537 $ 157,883 $ 444,431 $ 444,431
Hudson*** $ 102,451 $ 153,815 $ 25,294 $ (113,851)
Hunterdon $ 30,918 $ 36,356 $ 10,107 $ 10,107
Mercer $ 70,550 $ 57,846 $ 170,828 $ 170,828
Middlesex $ 451,874 $ 420,993 $ 46,238 $ 46,238
Monmouth $ 65,906 $ 116,024 $ (50,118) $ (50,118)
Morris*** $ 123,747 $ 97,024 $ 33,662 $ 33,662
Ocean $ 32,202 $ 39,010 $ 36,183 $ 52,349
Passaic $ 283,204 $ 254,401 $ 415,751 $ 415,751
Salem $ 21,896 $ 20,831 $ 105,736 $ 105,736
Somerset $ 131,019 $ 123,282 $ 38,348 $ 38,348
Sussex $ 10,102 $ 16,734 $ 13,601 $ 13,601
Union $ 224,129 $ 363,348 $ 124,752 $ 124,752
Warren** $ 3,705 $ 5,002 $ 3,462 $ 3,462
Democrats-Total $2,896,072 $3,135,430 $2,165,784 $2,007,596