2theadvocate.com | News | Senate hopefuls open up books

Campaigns spend more than $500,000

By MARSHA SHULER
Advocate Capitol News Bureau
Published: Mar 29, 2009

The two Republican candidates in Saturday’s Louisiana Senate runoff election have spent more than $500,000 in their quest to represent the Baton Rouge-based district.

Businessman Lee Domingue is far outpacing lawyer-businessman Dan Claitor in expenditures — responsible for almost 75 cents of every $1 spent, according to the most recent campaign finance reports.

Donations from lawyers and businessmen are helping fuel Claitor’s election bid as well as an infusion of family and family business cash.

Domingue’s campaign benefits from contributions from businessmen and his friends in the evangelical community, including Dino Rizzo, Domingue’s pastor at Healing Place Church.

Some entities — such as the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s political action arm — are putting their money behind both candidates.

The glimpse into campaign spending and giving comes from a review of campaign finance reports filed by Claitor and Domingue through week’s end.

Early voting ended Saturday for the April 4 runoff election with 1,656 people casting ballots, according to East Baton Rouge Parish Registrar of Voters Elaine Lamb.

Lamb said the election is attracting a lot of interest. She said she expects 20 percent of the district’s 89,500 voters would cast ballots election day.

District 16 runs from the lakes at LSU to the Country Club of Louisiana.

According campaign finance disclosures, Domingue has spent $429,709 to Claitor’s $154,825 — together, a total of $584,535 — since they entered the race to fill a vacancy created when Republican Bill Cassidy resigned after his election to the U.S. Congress.

The spending is aimed at winning a legislative seat with compensation averaging between $34,000 and $38,000 annually in a normal year.

The spending data is through March 15 — the last time the candidates have to report general expenditures prior to the election.

Fundraising reports show that Domingue had raised $376,015 to Claitor’s $162,566 as of week’s end. Domingue also loaned his campaign $103,381 to Claitor’s $30,000 investment.

Claitor said he is not intimidated by Domingue’s fundraising and spending edge.

“We are going to be able to accomplish our goals,” said Claitor. “He outspent us substantially last go-around and we were still able to get our message out.”

Claitor said his donors, for the most part, are “friends and acquaintances of long-standing.”

Domingue said he predicted from the beginning that it would take $500,000 to run. “We have raised the money we need,” he said.

“We think we have the momentum to overcome all the negative attacks and things thrown at us by different people that support my opponent,” said Domingue, who was endorsed by Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Claitor finished first in the March 7 primary election. Third-place finisher Laurinda Calongne endorsed Claitor after meeting with both candidates.

Claitor also has been endorsed by the Baton Rouge Union of Police, Local 237.

Jindal headlined a recent fundraiser for Domingue, who along with his family and business, has donated $118,500 to the governor’s campaign and transition committees as well as a private group that buys commercials promoting Jindal’s political agenda. Jindal called Domingue “an example of the right person to continue to move Louisiana forward.”

Calongne is co-hosting fundraising events for Claitor and has been campaigning door-to-door on his behalf. Calongne said she is becoming more and more impressed with how committed Claitor is to Baton Rouge and the district, in which his family has lived for generations.

In recent days, Calongne has been the target of a published attack by Baton Rouge Business Report Publisher Rolfe McCollister, a Domingue supporter. McCollister was the Jindal gubernatorial campaign’s finance chief and he chairs “Believe in Louisiana,” the private group promoting Jindal policies.

Domingue’s financial disclosures show that McCollister, his brother and someone named McCollister who lives at the same address gave $6,400 to Domingue’s campaign. McCollister’s business partner, Julio Melara, and Sherry Melara, gave $2,600.

The Baton Rouge Business Report endorsed Domingue.

Domingue’s family gave $10,500 in contributions.

Various nursing homes and associated medical care businesses gave $17,600 to Domingue, according to the campaign finance disclosures.

Among Domingue’s contributors are businessmen, doctors and lawyers. Some fellow members of the Omni Bank board, on which he sits, and their companies contributed $10,600 to his campaign.

Claitor’s family and family businesses have invested $29,076 in his campaign. He has also received money from physicians and business professionals.

Lawyers and law firms gave Claitor at least $24,000, according to campaign finance reports.

Claitor and Domingue attracted contributions from the same donors. For instance, the construction industry’s ABC political action committee and Cajun, a Baton Rouge construction company, contributed to each.

Houston homebuilder Bob Perry and his wife, Doylene, gave $10,000 to Domingue. Perry was the single largest donor to the group called “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth,” which argued in 2004 that Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry did not deserve the heroism medals he was awarded during the Vietnam War.

The pastor and leadership team of Healing Place Church are supporting Domingue’s campaign, contributing at least $9,100. Pastor Dino Rizzo gave $2,500 to the campaign and his wife, Delynn, gave $100.

In addition to donating, Rizzo also has used his church’s online column to praise Domingue and chastise the candidate’s critics.

Domingue attacked Claitor for being a trial lawyer and “A Criminal’s First Call.” After a flier that featured “Call Dan Today!” scribbled next to a jailhouse telephone began showing up in district mailboxes, Domingue announced that he was ordering his campaign to stop all future negative attacks.

Claitor primarily does legal work for his family businesses and handles some personal injury lawsuits and contract disputes in his law practice .

A review of East Baton Rouge Clerk of Court records shows 66 cases dating back to 1991 that were criminal in nature in which Claitor was an attorney of record. Nearly half of them are DWI or drug cases that generally brought sentences of probation. He represented at least four clients more than once.

Mark Ballard of the Capitol news bureau contributed to this report.


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