BURKE -- Today Sutton for South Dakota filed its second finance report of the campaign and announced a record-breaking $1.3 million raised since Sutton announced his campaign for Governor almost one year ago.
Sutton said, “The outpouring of support I’ve received is truly humbling. I’ve found that people are more generous with their support than they’ve ever been before because they know this is our chance to end the status quo and clean up state government. I’m encouraged and motivated to continue this fight for our shared values of honesty, integrity, and hard work in the months ahead!”
The report shows the real grassroots momentum behind Sutton, with over 93% of dollars raised in 2018 coming from individuals. Small donations from everyday South Dakotans are funding the campaign with 4 in 5 donations totaling $100 or less. Over 9 in 10 Sutton donors call South Dakota home, and Sutton has received financial support from over 80% of all towns in the state, from Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike.
After an impressive start with record-breaking fundraising in 2017, the Sutton campaign has continued to show success with a thousand new donors in 2018. Spending less than 30% of incoming funds, Sutton maintained nearly $880,000 cash on hand at the end of this reporting period. Sutton’s campaign raised $416,535 since the start of 2018 and have grown his donor base by 138%.
Early success and a strong start to 2018 have put Sutton on track to raise more than any Democrat running for South Dakota Governor ever has before. He has 30-times more cash on hand than both 2014 Democratic candidates had combined at this point in the race. Sutton has 70-times more cash in the bank than Jim Abbott, one of the most successful Democratic fundraisers in a recent SD gubernatorial race, had in May 2002. Sutton even rivals the records of the current Republican Governor Dennis Daugaard with $265,000 more cash on hand than Daugaard had in his 2010 pre-primary report.
It’s clear that South Dakotans are paying attention. Billie’s values, priorities, and hard-earned story of strength resonate with people all around the state, and Sutton’s newest finance report shows that.
Billie Sutton is a rancher, financial professional at a small community bank, State Senator, former professional rodeo cowboy, fifth-generation South Dakotan, and candidate for Governor.
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