Raleigh — According to financial reports due this week, rivals to North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in Tuesday's Republican primary outspent him in the first seven weeks of 2024.
Robinson led GOP candidates trial attorney Bill Graham and State Treasurer Dale Folwell in outside donations and spending through mid-February.
However, Folwell and Graham, who self-financed their campaigns, spent more than Robinson in recent weeks when absentee and early in-person voting began. In next week's five-person Democratic primary for governor, Attorney General Josh Stein continued to run strong and had the most campaign funds. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper cannot be reelected.
Graham's campaign reported the State Board of Election that it received $1.82 million between Jan. 1 and Feb. 17, mostly from personal loans, and spent $1.87 million, mostly on advertising. Graham has loaned his campaign $4.5 million since October, following his announcement to spend personal funds.
Folwell's campaign spent $896,100 and raised $94,700 in the shortened period. The campaign claimed $500,000 in social media advertising. Robinson's campaign raised $716,900 and spent $563,200. The campaign has no personal loans. Robinson's campaign committee raised $10.7 million by early 2021. Graham raised $4.7 million and Folwell $1.4 million, including $1 million from a personal loan.
Robinson, who has Trump support, had $4.4 million in his campaign coffers into the primary campaign's closing weeks. This was second only to Stein's $12.7 million campaign.
Both primary frontrunners have raised money for the general election. For the first seven weeks of 2024, Josh Stein for North Carolina raised approximately $2.2 million and spent $951,700. Campaign committee raised $19.1 million since early 2021.
Stein's Democratic primary opponent is former state Supreme Court Associate Justice Mike Morgan. Along with $119,300, his campaign raised $33,700 in January and part of February. The campaign had $44,300 in the final weeks of the primaries.
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