Meyer has commanding fundraising lead in Delaware Democratic gubernatorial primary race

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With barely three weeks left before Delaware’s Democratic gubernatorial primary election, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer continues to outraise his two foes and has $1.6 million to spend.

While nearly $600,000 of Meyer’s campaign war chest comes from a personal loan he made to the campaign last year, the amount he has to spend is far more than what Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long and Collin O’Mara have in the bank together.

Early in-person voting starts Aug. 28 at these locations, and in-person voting takes place at all polling places statewide on Sept. 10.

O’Mara, the former state environmental protection chief who heads the National Wildlife Federation, has $917,000 in his campaign account. Almost all of that money, however, is from a $750,000 loan O’Mara provided on Dec. 30, while he was contemplating a candidacy for state government’s highest elective post.

Hall-Long, who has been embroiled in a campaign finance scandal, is a distant third with $218,000 in her campaign account. That balance includes a $3,106 loan she provided on Aug. 10.

Hall-Long has been reeling from a damning forensic audit from the state Department of Elections in July about her campaign finances. The focus of the report is nearly $300,000 in previously undocumented payments to her husband Dana Long that Hall-Long says were repayments for loans she made to the campaign. The scandal, which first surfaced last fall, had forced her to suspend fundraising for several weeks.

Both candidates still have time to raise more money before Sept. 10, and third-party groups are also spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for or against the candidates through ads on television, radio, and social media, as well as mailers sent to homes.

The bottom financial line, however, is that the reports filed last week reveal Meyer’s sheer financial strength as the primary campaign enters its final stretch.

Since January, Meyer’s fundraising has far outpaced that of his foes. His campaign has received $823,000 in donations, compared with Hall-Long’s $531,000 and O’Mara’s $102,000.

Hall-Long has spent more than Meyer — $1 million vs. $925,000 — with O’Mara’s expenditures totaling only $54,000.

All the candidates plan to use their money not only to pay staff but to air ads and inundate the homes of Delaware’s 350,000 registered Democrats with mailings — all aimed at getting their votes.

“We’ve been very clear from the start with anyone interested in supporting either with their time, their talent, their financial contributions, we’re going to spend resources in this campaign to win,’’ Meyer said.

“That means continuing to stand up, show our policy book, discuss the detailed ways that we’re going to move this state forward and also discuss the detailed things we’ve done that voters clearly see as evidence that we can actually implement real solutions that impact Delawareans in a positive way long into the future.”

O’Mara, who didn’t officially launch his largely self-financed campaign until five months ago, said he’ll keep plugging away.

“You’re going to see more mail and stuff on TV and digital to try to make sure the folks know there’s a third option,” O’Mara said.

Hall-Long didn’t agree to an interview and her campaign didn’t comment on the fundraising totals. In recent weeks, the lieutenant governor has touted her endorsements by Gov. John Carney, the Delaware State Education Association, and labor unions.

A final primary finance report is due on Sept. 2 — eight days before Election Day.