Deeds & Comer file campaign finance reports  

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

LEWISBURG, WV — Jonathan Comer is challenging incumbent Sen. Vince Deeds in the Republican primary for Senate District 10, which includes Greenbrier, Monroe, Nicholas, Summers, and part of Fayette County. 

The campaign finance reports filed by Comer and Deeds paint a picture of campaigns being fueled by different sources of income. Comer’s funding largely comes from individuals, nearly half of whom are out-of-state residents and many of whom have ties to Gov. Patrick Morrisey. The majority of funding reported for Sen. Deeds comes from West Virginia lobbyists and Political Action Committees (PACs).

Both candidates have filed two reports each. The totals listed below include both reports. 

Income & expenses for Deeds

Sen. Deeds has raised $41,775 this year. 

Approximately $3,000 was donated to Deeds by individuals in small dollar amounts. 

Fellow Senators Rupie Phillips, Logan, and Bill Hamilton, Upshur, donated $4,100 total from their campaign accounts to Deeds. State Treasurer Larry Pack and his wife, Lisa, both contributed the maximum of $2,800 each to Deeds as citizens. 

Political Action Committees (PACs) and lobbyists donated $24,195 to Deeds. Donors include: Dominion Energy PAC, Gas & Oil Producers PAC, WV Hospital Association PAC, Wild & Wonderful PAC, Clearway Energy PAC, First Energy PAC, Cigna PAC, and WV Bankers PAC. 

The remainder of donations come from individuals, most of whom live in-state. 

Deeds has approximately $13,000 left in his campaign account after spending approximately $48,000 in the primary campaign (spent on signs, other advertising, and legal fees associated with a petition to remove Robert Shirley Love from the primary ballot over a residency issue). 

To view the actual reports for Deeds, click HERE and HERE.

Income & expenses for Comer

Challenger Jonathan Comer has raised $70,218.90 so far this year in his attempt to win the Republican Senate nomination for District 10. 

Approximately $3,200 was donated to Comer by individuals in small dollar amounts. 

While Comer did not receive any transfers from other politicians, he did receive nearly $2,700 from Sen. Brian Helton, Fayette, in his capacity as a citizen. The First Lady of West Virginia, Denise Morrisey, also donated $2,800 to Comer in her capacity as a citizen. Former candidate Donald Carter also transferred $1,000 to Comer. 

Political Action Committees (PACs) donated $6,600 in total to Comer. Those donors include Blue & Gold PAC and Mountaineers are Always Free PAC, which are both associated with Gov. Patrick Morrisey. In addition, the WV Trial Lawyers Association PAC contributed to Comer. 

The vast majority of Comer’s funds come from donations by individuals. In total, Comer received nearly $34,000 from West Virginia citizens and nearly $32,400 from citizens of other states including Texas, Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, and Maryland. 

Comer spent about $44,000 on advertising in the last few months, leaving him around $5,000 in his account for the remainder of the primary election. 

To view the actual reports for Comer, click HERE and HERE.

Income & expenses for Gilkerson

The winner of the Republican primary will face newcomer Kent Gilkerson, Democrat, in the general election. He has raised approximately $4,300 and spent around $700 (largely on advertising and mileage). 

Independent Expenditures in Senate District 10

According to reporting by Steven Allan Adams of Ogden Newspapers, “Sugar Maple PAC, Americans for Prosperity, and School Freedom Fund spent nearly $1.3 million between March 23 and April 22 to support and oppose statehouse candidates, including candidates Morrisey has endorsed. As of Wednesday, these three groups spent an additional $653,913, bringing the total spent by them to date to more than $1.9 million.”

All these PACs spent money in support of Comer and against Deeds. To see the reports in full, visit here. In total, they spent more than $250,000 opposing Deeds and supporting Comer.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded by the Koch brothers in 2004, has become increasingly active in West Virginia politics over the last decade. In 2022, they supported Deeds. Now in 2026, they are opposing him, as they seek a more conservative Senate aligned with Gov. Morrisey and Senate President Randy Smith.

Other independent expenditure groups, which seek a more moderate Republican leadership group, including the WV Chamber of Commerce and the Mountaineer Freedom Alliance, have spent more than $150,000 supporting Deeds (in addition to other expenditures supporting other Senate candidates).

Early voting is underway now, and the primary election will be held on May 12. Either Deeds or Comer will move on to face Gilkerson in the fall.