Glidewell far outpaces Files in campaign contributions

The conventional wisdom that it takes money to be competitive in Arkansas Legislative races will become less conventional if Jake Files defeats Rep. Frank Glidewell in Tuesday’s (June 8) runoff election for the Arkansas Senate District 13 seat.

Glidewell has raised at least $46,000 more than Files, based on reviews by The City Wire of the recent campaign reports Files and Glidewell posted with the Arkansas Secretary of State. And that doesn’t include an 18-day reporting gap for Glidewell prior to the May 18 primary. Glidewell doesn’t have to file that report until June 30. Files has already filed the pre-election report.

The candidate with the most money has already had one setback in the race. Glidewell had raised $9,000 more than Files going into the May 18 primary election. Files unofficially ended the primary election with 2,553 votes (39.81%), Glidewell ended with 2,391 votes (37.28%), and Jim Medley with 1,469 votes (22.91%). Medley has since endorsed Files.

The winner of the runoff will capture the seat because no Democrat is on the ballot.

Of the at least $75,100 Glidewell has raised or had available to his state Senate campaign as of May 29, about $38,100 has come from individuals and groups outside the Fort Smith area and outside the state. About $23,700 has come from individuals and businesses in the Fort Smith area, and a little more than $13,000 came from carryover funds from previous campaigns.

Also, Glidewell pulled in an impressive $14,150 in contributions during the 10-day period after the May 18 primary. More importantly, Glidewell had just short of $35,000 to spend on the last few days of the runoff election.

Files has raised $28,189 in contributions, loaned himself $10,000 and had a balance of about $15,000 going into the last week of the runoff election period. Files raised $4,000 in a 9-day period prior to the primary election and raised $4,550 in the 10-day period following the primary.

Of the money Files has raised, only $5,000 has come from sources outside the Fort Smith area — and $2,000 of that was from a relative in Texas. While Glidewell has raised far more in contributions than Files, they are about even in the amount of money raised from local contributors.

JAKE FILES (Cumulative contributions as of May 29)
• Outside Contributions
$2,000
Kelly Mitchell, Richardson, Texas

$1,000
Dillard’s, Little Rock

$600
Arkansas Transportation PAC, Little Rock

$500
Arkansas Home Builders Political Action Committee, Little Rock
Arkansas State Chamber PAC, Little Rock

$250
Alan Lewis, Rogers

$150
Lee Carter, Little Rock

• Regional Contributions
$2,000
Bob Powell, Fort Smith
Bill Walters, Greenwood

$1,000
John Baxter, Fort Smith
Jonathan Foster, Alma
Delores Mitchell, Sallisaw
Alan Pruitt, Fort Smith
Tim Smith, Fort Smith
Darrell Stovall, Fort Smith
William Walker, Fort Smith
Griffin Properties of Fort Smith

$750
Joey McCutchen

$500
Jim Bruning, Fort Smith
Marty Clark, Fort Smith
John Davis, Fort Smith
Bill Hanna, Fort Smith
Kevin King, Fort Smith
Jammie McClure, Fort Smith
Bennie Westphal, Fort Smith

$400
Gwen and Walter Carter, Fort Smith
Sally Gean, Fort Smith

$300
Betty Beauchamp, Fort Smith
Cliff Cabaness III, Fort Smith
Dane Fulmer, Fort Smith
Bret Hood, Fort Smith
Lee Webster, Fort Smith

$250
Stephen Burch, Fort Smith
Christey Ivey, Fort Smith
Hugh Maurras, Fort Smith
Roger Meek, Fort Smith
Sam Sexton III, Fort Smith
Shannon Shell, Fort Smith
Sam T. Sicard, Fort Smith
Jerry Yarbrough, Fort Smith

$200
Jill Cutting, Fort Smith
Jim Files, Fort Smith
Gene Nelson III, Fort Smith
Fred Williams, Fort Smith

$150
Pam, Lindsey and Lyndel Hobbs, Fort Smith
Dr. Jerry Stewart, Fort Smith
Angela Tabor, Muldrow

$100
Darlene Burch, Fort Smith
Aundria Carlton, Fort Smith
Pam and Mike Carroll, Fort Smith
Ken Colley, Fort Smith
Cindy Crawford, Fort Smith
Jill Cutting, Fort Smith
Mont Echols, Fort Smith
Col. Bill Files, Fort Smith
Dudley Flanders, Fort Smith
Phil Leraris, Fort Smith
Bob Miller, Fort Smith
Richard Turner, Fort Smith
Dennis Wood, Fort Smith
Mike Worley, Fort Smith

FRANK GLIDEWELL (Cumulative contributions as of May 29 – excluding the May 1-18 period)
• Outside Contributions
$2,000
John Warmack, Texarkana
Arkansas Health Care Senate Public Affairs Committee, Little Rock
ARSFA-PAC, Little Rock (insurance lobby)
Philip Morris USA, Richmond, Va.
The Stephens Group, Little Rock
Union Pacific Railroad, Omaha

$1,000
Earl Jones, Little Rock
Ed Warmack, Texarkana
Arkansas Medical Society PAC, Little Rock
ARPAC, Little Rock (Arkansas Realtors lobby)
ARPAC II, Little Rock (Arkansas Realtors lobby)
BNSF Railway Co., Springfield, Mo.
Centerpoint Energy Inc., Houston
Committee to Save Arkansas Jobs PAC, Little Rock
FBS PAC, Houston
Glazer’s Wholesale Drug Co., Dallas
Kraft Foods Global, Portland, Ore.
Reynolds American, Winston-Salem, N.C.
Riceland Foods, Stuttgart, Ark.
SBC Arkansas Employee Political Action Committee, Little Rock
Southwestern Energy Company PAC, Fayetteville
Stephens Investments Co., Little Rock
Wilson & Associates, Little Rock

$500
Sammie Cox, Little Rock
Joe Molinaro, Little Rock
Gilbert Baker for U.S. Senate, Lowell
American Electric Power Committee for Responsible Government, Columbus, Ohio
APAC Arkansas PAC, Washington, D.C.
Arkansas Oil Marketers Association PAC, Little Rock
Arvest Bank Group PAC, Lowell
Associated Industries of Arkansas PAC, Little Rock
Caremark RX, Lincoln, R.I.
Cranford Coalition, Little Rock
BNSF Railway Co., Fort Worth
Pritchard Senate Campaign, Elkins, Ark.
VOTE, Little Rock
Windstream Political Action Committee, Little Rock

$250
Robert Glidewell
Delray Beach, Fla.
Manufactured Housing Council Political Action Committee, Little Rock
Medco Health Solutions, Franklin Lakes, N.J.
RG Ventures LLC, Little Rock
Southland Racing Corp., West Memphis
Wholesale Beer Distributors of Arkansas, Little Rock

$200
American Insurance Association-Arkansas Political Action Committee, Little Rock

$150
PCI State Political Account (Insurance), Des Plaines, Ill.

• Regional Contributions
$2,000
Michael Carter, Fort Smith
Michael Morton, Fort Smith
Central Arkansas Nursing Center, Fort Smith
MSM Properties, Fort Smith

$1,000
James Glidewell, Fort Smith
Robert Miller, Fort Smith
Michael Morton, Fort Smith
Frost Oil Co., Fort Smith
KE Investments, Fort Smith

$500
John Canterbury, Fort Smith
Dr. Carl Friddle, Fort Smith
Dane Fulmer, Fort Smith
Randall Goins, Fort Smith
Cosby Hodges, Fort Smith
Jack Jones Investments, Fort Smith
Joe Larkin, Charleston
Christopher Looper, Huntington
Robert A. Young III, Fort Smith
Armour Heights Nursing Home, Van Buren
Jack Jones Investments Co., Fort Smith
Riverfront Exploration (Bennie Westphal), Fort Smith
Taylor Management, Fort Smith

$350
Greg Carman, Fort Smith

$300
Carl Davis, Fort Smith
Curtis McDonald, Fort Smith

$250
Sen. Denny Altes, Fort Smith
Dr. Cole Goodman, Fort Smith
John Meyers, Fort Smith
Thurman Jordan, Fort Smith
Carman Inc., Fort Smith
JR Young Construction, Fort Smith

$200
Arkansas Glass & Mirror, Fort Smith

$150
John Womack, Fort Smith

$100
Bernard Beall, Fort Smith
Eldon Coffman, Fort Smith
George Combs, Fort Smith
William Dudding, Fort Smith
Robert Fulmer, Fort Smith
Curtis Goldtrap Jr., Fort Smith
J.W. Holmes, Fort Smith
Thomas Kelly, Fort Smith
Harold McDowell, Fort Smith
David McMahon, Fort Smith
Sandra and Jerry Stewart, Fort Smith
Billy Strang, Uniontown
James Taylor, Fort Smith

$50
Jim Berry, Fort Smith
William R. Harper, Fort Smith