Wildrose raises more money than Tories

Leadership race disrupted usual patterns from donors, PCs say

CALGARY — Less than two weeks before Alberta voters go to the polls in four byelections, the Wildrose has flexed its financial muscle with a fundraising victory over the governing Tories.

The official Opposition nearly doubled the revenue collected by the long-reigning Progressive Conservatives, reeling in $700,784 to the Tories’ $412,804 for the period from July 1 to Sept. 30.

The NDP pulled in $201,092, more than double the Liberals ($61,113) and Alberta Party ($37,406) combined.

Wildrose president David Yager said to be fair, the Tories did garner substantially more revenue than the Wildrose if you include money the three PC leadership candidates raised in the summerlong race.

“But every time we out-- fundraise the government, it always surprises me,” he said Thursday. “They have three times as many MLAs, and cabinet ministers.”

Yager said a chunk of the Wildrose third-quarter revenue will go toward funding the byelection battles in three Calgary ridings and one in Edmonton. Voters go to the polls Oct. 27.

The Wildrose continues to trump the Tories in the funds raised for the year to date, as well.

In the first nine months of 2014, the Wildrose raised $2.3 million, while the Tories collected $1.8 million.

The NDP were in third place at $474,000, with the Liberals trailing at $243,000, according to Elections Alberta figures.

However, the advantage doesn’t capture the entire picture, the Tories said.

The PC party raised $231,795 from its 87 constituency associations in the third quarter. Combined with $412,804 collected by the PC party itself, it raised $644,599 in the third quarter.

By comparison, the Wildrose raised $112,436 from its riding associations in the July-to-September period, for a total of $813,220 in the third quarter.

PC party executive director Kelley Charlebo is said Thursday he was pleased with the third-quarter figures, noting fundraising doubled for the Tory party from the same period a year ago.

The amount also came during the middle of a leadership race that saw Jim Prentice selected to take over the party following Alison Redford’s sudden resignation last March.

“During a leadership race, the money tends to go to the leadership candidates rather than the political party,” Charlebois said. “We knew that would happen.”

In the summer leadership contest, Prentice’s campaign pulled in $1.8 million. The other candidates in the race, Ric McIver and Thomas Lukaszuk, raised $417,628 and “more than $300,000,” respectively.