Big money in Delaware treasurer’s race

State treasurer Chip Flowers has loaned his campaign almost a quarter of a million dollars this year in a hotly contested re-election contest. 

Flowers reports raising only $3,400 since January, but personal loans of more than $242,000, including $110,000 last week. He reported about $210,000 in expenditures and repayments of previous loans, leaving him with about $157,000 cash and an outstanding loan balance of $653,000.

Flowers’ Democratic primary challenger, Sean Barney, raised about $124,000 and loaned his campaign $24,000. Barney’s expenditures totaled about $78,000, leaving him with about $71,000.

Republican Ken Simpler raised about $183,000 and loaned his campaign about $130,000. Expenditures of about $175,000 left him with about $140,000.

Simpler’s primary opponent, Sher Valenzuela, raised only about $5,000 and loaned her campaign about $25,000, leaving her with about $45,000.