Brewer talks with Press Herald about significance of campaign contributions

Mark Brewer told the Portland Press Herald that gubernatorial campaign finance report numbers can be informative, but that “money doesn’t equal votes by any means.” The University of Maine political science professor said financial reports can help candidates build momentum and reflect a serious commitment to invest in themselves. “Someone like Shawn Moody, who hasn’t been in all that long, the fact that he has already raised well over $100,000-plus and he is also apparently matching that with a loan of equal or similar amounts from his own personal finances, I think that demonstrates one — he’s got some traction, among at least some part of the donor base, and two — he’s serious about the campaign,” Brewer said. Brewer also said candidates who have been in the race for longer periods of time and who haven’t received significant donations may need to reassess their campaigns. “That can be indicative of either lack of enthusiasm and/or lack of effort, both of which should be concerning to a campaign,” he said. The Sun Journal and Foster’s also reported on the topic. The Seattle Times and Seacoastonline carried the AP story.