Rory Reid, Sandoval leaders in fundraising

Democrat Rory Reid reaffirmed his position as the fundraising leader in the governor's race, reporting on Tuesday he has nearly five times as much cash on hand as leading Republican Brian Sandoval.

After raising about $984,000 from January through May, Reid reported having about $2.6 million in the bank for his campaign.

Sandoval, the second-leading fundraiser, reported raising about $900,000 from January through May and has about $576,000 in cash on hand.

That means Reid, despite trailing in statewide public opinion polls, will have one campaign advantage over Sandoval, should Sandoval get past incumbent Gov. Jim Gibbons and former North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon in the Republican primary, which concludes June 8.

Reid has pulled in about $4.4 million since he started raising funds in 2008 for his gubernatorial campaign. Sandoval, who didn't start campaigning until mid-September, has raised about $1.8 million.

Reid reported spending about $982,000 during the first period this year. Sandoval's full finance report wasn't posted Tuesday evening, but campaign spokeswoman Mary-Sarah Kinner said Sandoval spent about $1 million.

Republican primary polls show Sandoval with a double-digit lead over Gibbons and third-place candidate Montandon, who reported raising about $80,000 from January through May.

Montandon reported spending about $113,000.

Gibbons' campaign filed fundraising results by mail, and they didn't post to the secretary of state's website Tuesday.

He started the year with just $35,000 and has shown few signs of fundraising success since then.

"Money is not the silver bullet," said Sig Rogich, a Republican political consultant who helped Gibbons raise about $6 million for his election in 2006 but is not participating in the current gubernatorial campaigns. "But it certainly helps to have a greater fundraising base in place and money in the bank more than anything else right now."

Ronni Council, a Democratic consultant, said if Sandoval does win the primary he will have to spend money restoring his support among the Republican base in addition to trying to appeal to independents and Democrats and respond to Reid's criticism.

"Sandoval has to win over Republicans. Rory doesn't have to win over Democrats," Council said.

General election polls show voters prefer Sandoval, a former federal judge and one-time Nevada attorney general, to Reid in a theoretical ballot test.

The cash advantage could help Reid, chairman of the Clark County Commission, erode his polling disadvantage by getting his campaign message out quickly and with more frequency than Sandoval. Reid also would have money for attack ads to reduce Sandoval's favorable rating with voters.

"It is important to define your opposition quickly. Everybody who is in this business knows that," Rogich said.

Reid has raised money from more than 2,000 individuals . He has also gotten support from major donors in gambling, mining and other industries. The Bellagio, Circus Circus, El Cortez and California Hotel and Casino each made $5,000 contributions to Reid. The Barrick Cortez Gold Mine gave $7,000.

"This level of support has allowed us to build an aggressive, far-reaching organization that is ready for the next phase of the campaign," said Reid's campaign manager, David Cohen.

Kinner said Sandoval also was pleased with the fundraising results .

Tuesday was the deadline for state candidates to report contributions and expenses for the first five months of 2010.

Several candidates for lieutenant governor also posted results. Incumbent Republican Brian Krolicki reported about $129,000 in contributions and $100,000 in expenditures.

Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor Robert Randazzo and Jessica Sferrazza also had results posted. Randazzo reported about $133,000 in contributions, mostly in loans from himself, and $114,000 in expenses.

Sferrazza reported about $46,000 in contributions and $111,000 in expenses. She also had a surplus of about $85,000 from the previous reporting period.

In the race for attorney general, incumbent Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto reported contributions of about $166,000 and expenses of $78,000.

Republican attorney general candidate Jacob Hafter reported raising more than $60,000 and spending about $40,000.

Travis Barrick, another Republican running for attorney general, reported raising $1,400 and spending more than $7,300.

Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861.