Deffenbaugh, Holmes campaign fundraising tops $10,000 each

story by Marla Cantrell
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There is less than $200 difference in the amount of money the two Republican candidates have raised in their run for the Arkansas District 66 Representative seat.

Gary Deffenbaugh and Kevin Holmes are facing off in the May 18 primary for a chance to run against Democrat Dianna Faucher in the November election. The district includes Van Buren and Kibler.

In the latest Campaign and Expenditure Report, Deffenbaugh reported contributions of $10,480 and expenses of $2,696. Holmes’ filing showed $10,326 in contributions and $3,838 in expenses — one of those was $500 for consulting services.

Holmes also took out a personal loan of $2,211.79 to jump start his campaign. Deffenbaugh has not loaned money to his campaign.

When asked how much money it would take to be competitive in the primary, Deffenbaugh calculated it would take anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000. He’s currently on the low end of that scale.

Holmes did not specify an amount, saying instead it depended on several variables.

“It depends on the type of campaign you intend to run and the quality of people that are running your campaign,” Holmes said. “We will have enough money to make sure that we get our message to the voters, but we are more focused on meeting the voters than raising money.”

Both are knocking on doors, speaking to groups and flooding mailboxes with flyers. Holmes is also using his campaign Web site and a Facebook page to reach the voters.  Deffenbaugh does not have a website.

The two see financial support from political action groups as a valid part of the process.

“I’m confident that you’ll get mixed reviews, but the people whose trust you’ve earned will consider it part of a necessary election process,” Deffenbaugh said.

“I believe there are good PACs in Arkansas that contribute to candidates because they share the same values and beliefs as the candidates and want to see those people elected,” Holmes said. “There are also PACs that seek to make contributions to candidates to influence voters in favor or against legislation.”

They may see them as valid, but neither candidate lists contributions from these groups. 

In fact, all of Deffenbaugh’s donations are from individuals. Holmes received $3,000 from two businesses, neither of which is from this area. The Brad Hendricks Law Firm in Little Rock donated $1,000.  The other $2,000 came from Care Services of NW Louisiana, in Bossier City, La.

Fourteen of Deffenbaugh’s contributors are retired. Together they donated $1,400 to Deffenbaugh’s campaign. Six retirees contributed $2,200 to Holmes.

Deffenbaugh, who is a coach at Van Buren High School, received $1,200 from 10 donors who listed their professions as educators. Holmes, a lawyer, had three donations from attorneys for a total of $416.76. (That’s not counting the $1,000 law firm donation.)

And while each has raised approximately the same amount of money, Deffenbaugh has almost twice the number of donors. (Couples donating were counted as one.) He’s raked in 67, while Holmes has 37 donors.

While the two continue to campaign for the May primary, Democrat Dianna Faucher has yet to start fundraising in earnest. She said she’s paid her filing fees from her personal account and has only received $200 from the Pulaski County Assessor’s Campaign Fund.

The next campaign donation filing update deadline is April 15.