Tight GOP fundraising competition in Louisiana governor race

By MELINDA DESLATTE Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham took in more campaign donations than his GOP competitor Eddie Rispone in the latest fundraising quarter.

Still, Abraham remains far behind both Rispone and Democratic incumbent John Bel Edwards in the dollars available to finance his campaign. Rispone has loaned his campaign $10 million, while Edwards built up a hefty campaign account across three years in office.

The latest fundraising reports were filed late Monday.

Abraham raised $799,000 from January through April 5, compared to $597,000 for Rispone. But Rispone, a wealthy businessman, poured his own money into the race.

So, while Abraham reported $1 million in the bank, Rispone is sitting on $10.5 million.

Edwards had previously released detailed figures. He reported raising $2.6 million and has $10.2 million in the bank.