HELENA – Republican Greg Gianforte gave his campaign a $200,000 infusion of cash, and thousands of dollars more in in-kind contributions confirming concerns among Democrats that the wealthy Bozeman businessman would be dipping into his personal fortune to help fund his run for Montana governor.
Gianforte spent about $348,000 between March 28 and April 26, with $248,000 of that for a barrage of television spots that aired last month in his bid to oust Gov. Steve Bullock.
He raised $146,000 from individual donors during the same period, according to a report filed with the Commissioner of Political Practices on Monday.
The latest sum pushed Gianforte beyond the $1 million milestone.
Bullock’s latest campaign finance report showed he raised nearly $133,000 over the past month and had more than $1.2 million left in reserve. That’s more than three times the $361,000 Gianforte had left in the bank.
Even so, Bullock’s campaign has long worried Gianforte would dig into his considerable wealth to finance his campaign.
“It’s no surprise that Mr. Gianforte is pouring his personal fortune into this campaign,” Bullock campaign manager Eric Hyers said, noting that more than half the money flowing into the Republican’s coffers during the latest period came from Gianforte’s own checkbook.
Gianforte had challenged Bullock to swear off money from political action committees — a pledge the governor has called “disingenuous,” partly because of Gianforte’s ability to self-finance.
Over the past months, both campaigns have traded barbs about the role of money in the contest, which some analysts have said could become Montana’s most expensive gubernatorial campaign ever.
Bullock has tried to depict Gianforte as a rich outsider who will use his sizeable personal wealth to advance his political ambitions, while Gianforte has called Bullock a well-connected insider who can tap into a vast network of moneyed friends and outside groups.
“I will be investing in the campaign,” Gianforte said during an interview with Billings new station KULR-TV. “The important thing to remember is that we are not taking any special interest money.”
The $200,000 contribution was the first major donation of cash from Gianforte himself, but campaign spokesman Aaron Flint could not say how much more money might come from the candidate.
Gianforte made millions when he sold his company, RightNow Technologies, to Oracle for $1.8 billion.
In all, Gianforte has contributed nearly $272,000 to his campaign. Some of the contributions were in-kind expenditures for such items as gas, meals and other spending — including $25,000 in air travel — for which he did not seek reimbursement, Flint said.