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Money flows into Eastern Panhandle legislative race

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A Republican and Democratic candidate vying for the 67th House of Delegates seat have collectively raised approximately $106,000 in campaign contributions before the primary election.

Republican candidate Riley Moore has received $66,273 in campaign contributions, while Democratic candidate Rod Snyder has received $40,066. Moore’s Republican primary opponent, Daniel Swisher, reported no money in either contributions or expenditures for his campaign. The figures were published on the Secretary of State’s website.

The amount of money put into these two campaigns is the highest for a single-member House of Delegates district in West Virginia.

Moore, who has received funds from various political actions committees (PACs) and other political candidates, said many of his campaign contributions were a result of time he spent forming relationships in Washington, D.C. where he worked for some time.

“I had a lot of large scale donors represented by West Virginia PACs. A number of them have come from people who represent organizations here in West Virginia, and some of them have been donors I have worked with,” Moore said in a telephone interview. “I worked on Capitol Hill for a long time. You’ll see some members of Congress have donated to my campaign, and that certainly speaks to the good work that I did while I was up there. I believe it is reflective of the hard work I did in Congress and the relationships I formed there.”

Moore has received larger contributions from organizations including Ohio-based FirstEnergy Political Action Committee with a donation of $1,000, California-based Kevin McCarthy for Congress with a donation of $1,000 and Washington, D.C.-based CSX Corporation Good Government Fund with a donation of $1,000.

Snyder, who has received about a quarter of his campaign funds from contributors donating $250 or less, said he mainly attributes those numbers to being raised in Jefferson County.

“My campaign is really driven by individuals, not by political action committees,” Snyder said in a telephone interview. “I think the level of grassroots support speaks volumes about my campaign. It goes to show that there are actual voters and West Virginians that are behind this campaign, and I’m really pleased with that sort of funding. I have lived in Jefferson County my whole life, and I’ve received a lot of local support from people that have known me. It’s great to turn to those people.”

Snyder has received larger contributions from organizations including Natalie Tennant for Senate Inc. with a donation of $1,000, Missouri-based Monsanto Citizenship Fund with a donation of $500 and Delaware-based Syngenta Corporation Political Action Committee with a donation of $1,000.

Both Moore and Snyder have political history through their families, with Moore being the nephew of Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Snyder being the son of State Sen. Herb Snyder, D-Jefferson.

Snyder is running unopposed in the primary election.

Moore said he’s happy with endorsements from individuals like gubernatorial candidate Bill Cole.

“Other supporters, like Bill Cole (who contributed $1,000) and a lot of West Virginians, are interested in seeing me be successful in this run,” Moore said. “A large majority of the money (I’m receiving) is from West Virginia. We started raising money well over a year ago, so it has been a lot of hard work. I’m trying to win this race to better represent the people of Jefferson County in Charleston.”

Snyder placed an emphasis on smaller scale donors contributing to his campaign.

“It’s incredible that we’re seeing this level of support. It has been helpful to be able to raise funds to prepare for the general election and be able to conserve those funds,” Snyder said. “A lot of my supporters are friends I’ve made over the years and people I’ve had the pleasure of working with within the Democratic Party and the agriculture community, since that has been my background.”

To see all of the campaign finance reports filed in the state, visit bit.ly/1VVN50B.

Staff writer Emily Daniels can be reached at 304-263-8931, ext. 132, or twitter.com/emilykdaniels.

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