PARKERSBURG - A candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates from the 8th District is the top campaign spender so far among Wood County candidates, according to financial disclosures filed with the secretary of state.
Denzil "Buddy" Malone reported expenditures of $22,748 with contributions of $25,615 for the election cycle.
Malone, a Democrat and service representative for Local 1755 of the millwrights' union, is running against incumbent Delegate Bill Anderson, a school teacher and Republican who has represented the single-delegate district since 1992.
The general election first campaign financial reports were due on Friday. The general election is Nov. 6 and early voting begins on Oct. 24.
Malone for the reporting period listed $1,000 contributions from the Mid-Atlantic Region of Carpenters Political Action Committee from Upper Marlboro, Md., the West Virginia Building and Construction Trades PAC, Carpenters Local 1024 PAC from Cumberland, Md., the West Virginia AFL-CIO, the Mid-Ohio Valley West Virginia Carpenters PAC, Painters DC 53 from Charleston and the Southern West Virginia Carpenters Locals PAC from Charleston.
A report from Anderson was not immediately available.
While Malone has spent the most so far among Wood County candidates, incumbent 10th District Delegate Dan Poling has raised the most, $27,005 for the election cycle. He has spent $11,080.
Poling reported contributions of $8,850 for the period, including $1,000 from labor organizations including the Appalachian Labor Council, the AFL-CIO, the United Food and Commercial Workers, the American Federation of Teachers, the United Auto Workers, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades and trial lawyers.
Delegate John Ellem, a Republican in the 10th District, has raised $25,462 for the election cycle, but has so far spent $1,977 from the campaign war chest. He reported contributions of $7,100 for the reporting period.
Ellem, a Parkersburg attorney, reported contributions of $500 from the electrical workers union, the American Federation of Teachers and West Virginia Health Care, and $1,000 donations from political action committees representing trial lawyers, the West Virginia Appalachian Laborers District Council, the AFL-CIO and the Building and Construction Trades. He reported an individual contribution of $1,000 from Scott S. Blass of Wheeling, an attorney.
Four candidates are running against each other for three positions in the 10th District.
Incumbent Republican Tom Azinger reported contributions of $3,100 and expenditures of $3,984.
Republican Dr. Fred Gillespie reported contributions of $1,769 and expenditures of $1,469 for the reporting period.
In the 9th District, incumbent Republican Anna Border has spent $6,974 while Democrat challenger Jim Marion of Mineral Wells has spent $2,272. Border was appointed to the House in 2011 following the death of her husband, Larry Border, and is running for a full two-year term.
The 9th District is a single-delegate district that encompasses southern Wood County and all of Wirt County.
Border reported contributions for the election cycle of $10,575. She reported contributions for the reporting period of $750, including $250 donations from the West Virginia Farm Bureau and West Virginia Health Care PACs.
Marion reported contributions of $450 for the period. He received $200 from the American Federation of Teachers.
