Governor’s bid for re-election generates cash

Beebe bests Keet, Lendall

Gov. Mike Beebe has received nearly 13 times as much money in his re-election push as Republican rival Jim Keet.

Beebe has received larger and more numerous contributions, many of which are from businesses or business owners. Keet’s have been largely from individuals or political groups.

In his September campaign-finance report, Beebe of Searcy reported $4.76 million received during the entire election cycle. Little Rock businessman Keet reported $378,920. Green Party candidate Jim Lendall of Little Rock has raised $200.

Beebe, 63, seeks a second four-year term. Keet, 61, who has served in the Legislature, owns Taziki’s Greek Fare restaurant on Cantrell Road in Little Rock and a management company. This is the second time Lendall, 63, a former state legislator, has run for governor.

After filing for election, a candidate must make financial reports to the secretary of state once he has either raised or spent more than $500.

Beebe began acceptingmoney in January, Keet in February, and Lendall in July.

TAPPED OUT

Individuals are allowed to contribute up to $2,000 per candidate per election. The primary election, runoff election and general election are separate elections even if they are uncontested.

Dozens of Beebe contributors donated the limit in more than one election.

The highest total came from George R. O’Connor of Little Rock, who gave $5,500. O’Connor is president of Three Lakes Distributing Co. and has been donating large sums to candidates from both parties for more than a decade, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Hundreds of donors have given more than $1,000 to Beebe’s campaign and around 40 have given between $3,000 and $5,500.

Keet has had few donors of more than $2,000.

Some of his earliest and most frequent donors are connected to Mountaire, a chicken and feed company that originated in Arkansas.

In March Keet received $6,000 in total from Mountaire Corp., Mountaire Farms of Delaware Inc., and Mountaire Farms Inc. Those entities also gave Keet $6,000 in May.

Mountaire executive Ronald Cameron of Little Rock has donated $4,000 to the Keet campaign, and Mountaire executive Alan Duncan of Little Rock gave $1,000 in March.

Many who gave Keet more than $1 ,000 were countybased political groups.

Lendall’s $200 contribution came from Robert Howell of Little Rock.

BIG BUSINESS

Keet has received large contributions from several national hotelchains. He has worked with restaurants and hotels for decades.

Marriott International Inc. in Louisville, Tenn., donated $2,000 in September, according to Keet’s finance report. The Hilton Worldwide Political Action Committee gave him $500.

In March he received $2,000 from Kevin Lewis, the president of Choice Hotels International.

He has received an assortment of donations from officials with Stephens Inc., the banking and investment firm based in Little Rock. Senior Vice President Mickey McFarlin gave Keet the largest donation, with $4,000 in April.

Many of Keet’s donors are either listed as retirees or their job information is not given in the reports.

Beebe has the financial backing of some of the state’s leading businessmen, many of whom have donated thousands to his campaign.

Anthony Forest Products Co. President Aubra Anthony Jr. of El Dorado has given Beebe $2,500.

The owner of Food Giant Inc., Oral W. Edwards, donated $1,000.

Hunter Bale, vice president of Bale Chevrolet, gave $2,000.

Several oil and gas companies also donated to the Beebe campaign.

David M. Wood, CEO of Murphy Oil Co. in El Dorado, donated $2,000. William Hanna, owner of Hanna Oil and Gas Co., donated $100. J.C. Langley Oil Co. LLC of Smackover gave $2,000.

Hanna also gave $100 to Keet.

In 2008 Beebe found a compromise on an increase in the natural-gas severance tax. A proposed initiated act would have dramatically raised the production tax on energy companies. Beebe negotiated an increase from three-tenths of 1 cent per 1,000 cubic feet of gas to 5 percent of the sale price, minus the cost of treating and transporting the gas.

Keet spokesman Richard Atkinson said big businesses are backing Beebe because he is the incumbent.

Beebe campaign manager Zac Wright argued that the number of businesses reflect that Beebe “is good for business in Arkansas.”

POLITICIANS

In several cases donors who have been active in one political party contributed to a candidate of the other party.

At least six of Beebe’s contributors either worked in the upper levels of the Mike Huckabee administration or supported him.

Former Huckabee aide Carl Bayne of Little Rock gave Beebe $1,328.

He resigned in 2002 after he was accused of threatening county officials and after details surfaced about a felony conviction. After leaving Huckabee’s staff, Bayne became projects administrator at the Workers’ Compensation Commission.

Drew Crawford of Sherwood gave $1,000. He volunteered for Huckabee’s campaign and was a major donor.

Ron Fuller of Little Rock was Huckabee’s campaign finance director. He donated $1,250 to Beebe.

Atkinson questioned whether the Huckabee employees were Republicans.

“Many of those people from Huckabee’s administration giving money were also a part of Clinton and Tucker administrations so it is no surprise they are giving money to a fellow Democrat,” he said.

Keet received $2,000 from Huckabee in March. It was the first donation Keet received for the governor’s race.

Former Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, D.C. Morrison of Little Rock, gave Keet’s campaign $500 in September.

STATE EMPLOYEES

Beebe’s contributions include hundreds of donations from teachers, police officers, lawmakers and others on the state’s payroll.

These include state Department of Finance and Administration Director Richard Weiss, who gave Beebe $900; StoneCounty Judge Stacey Avey, who gave $100; and assistant director of Developmental Disabilities Services Carole Cromer, $1,000.

Keet, who in September received a handful of donations from people who stated they were on the state payroll, has said he would want to limit donations from state employees if he ran for a second term.

“I’m not going to take contributions from any state employees or department heads,” Keet said in a Sept. 24 interview. “It’s not that I want to abridge their First Amendment rights, it’s just that I don’t want there to be a connection or a sense of obligation that if you have this job you need to give me money.”

Wright said the number of state employees on the financial report is a product of the “sheer proportion” of the number of people who have donated to Beebe and nothing unusual. “Of course we’re going to have more of just about anything on a report,” Wright said.

MONEY AND THE RACE

Ouachita Baptist University political science department Chairman Doug Reed said expectations about a candidate’s chances of winning play a large role in how much money the candidate can raise.

“In this particular election cycle the Republicans kind of had to search far and wide tofind someone willing to run against incumbent Gov. Mike Beebe,” Reed said. “Groups didn’t really think Keet could beat Beebe, so that is why money went to other races. Money is the mother’s milk of politics and you want to spendyour money where you can get the biggest bang for your buck.”

Contribution and expenditure reports may be viewed at: www.sos.arkansas.gov/filing_search/index.php/filing/search/new.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 17 on 10/24/2010

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