WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

CHARLESTON – A campaign finance report filed April 5 shows state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey chipping away at the negative balance with which he ended his successful 2012 campaign.

The report shows Morrisey raised $166,760 since Nov. 28, three weeks after he defeated longtime Democratic attorney general Darrell McGraw in the general election.

It also shows outstanding loans in the amount of $1,361,000, and that Morrisey’s campaign spent $83,000 on repayment of them and $76,649.62 on expenditures.

A report by The Associated Press noted that the outstanding loans balance is representative of the money Morrisey personally spent on his campaign, and that a little more than half of the money he raised during the period came from out-of-state contributors.

During a Dec. 6 fundraising event in Charleston, he raised $68,200, and during a Dec. 18 fundraiser in Washington, D.C., he raised $55,500.

"We accept contributions from a wide variety of sources, but will never favor any specific person, company, or firm," Morrisey said in a statement emailed to the AP.

"All individuals, firms, and companies are entitled to equal treatment under the law. The rule of law will govern all of our actions."

Morrisey received contributions from the campaign committee of Utah’s attorney general, Friends of John Swallow, and Patrick Lynch, the former attorney general of Rhode Island and president of Patrick Lynch Group.

Many in-state and out-of-state attorneys also contributed. The AP reported lawyers contributed at least $22,500 of the total, and the Weirton firm of Frankovitch, Anetakins, Colantonio & Simon held an event on Dec. 7 that brought in $6,700.

From the West Virginia Record: Reach John O’Brien at jobrienwv@gmail.com.