Hanna raises money across nation while Householder focuses on WV in auditor’s race

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

In early January, Caleb Hanna resigned from the House of Delegates. He said he wanted to focus his full attention on a run for State Auditor. What does the Auditor do? Serve as the state’s official bookkeeper. 

Hanna’s primary opponent, fellow Republican Delegate Eric Householder, blasted him for quitting one political job in order to run for another. After active fundraising periods, Hanna and Householder are running neck and neck in the campaign finance race. And they are doing it in very different ways. 

Hanna is raising funds almost exclusively from a large network of national donors in places like Florida, Texas, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Householder on the other hand is raising funds from West Virginia officials and lobbying groups.

Hanna, a 24-year old from Nicholas County who works in Public Relations for WVU Health, raised $22,000 this quarter in addition to the $87,000 he raised previously. He also loaned himself an additional $25,000 (after also loaning his campaign $25,000 during the last quarter). After spending a little less than $1,000, he has $132,000 remaining in his campaign account. 

More than 75% of Hanna’s donors live outside West Virginia. He received a number of maximum individual donations from political consultants in Florida and Washington, DC, this quarter. He held a fundraiser in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, on December 15 and brought in more than $7,000 in contributions from Wisconsins.

Eric Householder, the House Majority Leader and businessman from Berkeley County, raised $34,000 this quarter in addition to the $125,000 he raised previously (mostly by transferring funds from an old campaign account). He spent $22,000, leaving him all $137,000. 

Major donors include Speaker Roger Hanshaw, Delegate Vernon Criss, Ben Beakes (lobbyist), and energy associations. Nearly all of his donations are from inside the state. 

No Democrats or Independents have filed to run for Auditor. 

Stay tuned to RealWV for further campaign finance updates on this and other state offices.