Vigeant Outspent Jones Nearly 4 to 1 Per Vote in Mayoral Election

The Office of Campaign and Political Finance released a report on the campaign finance activity of mayoral candidates in the 2011 election season on Thursday. As part of this report, the state agency released the expenditures of Marlborough candidates Matt Jones and (now) Mayor Arthur Vigeant. 

Marlborough's candidates represented just two of 71 Massachusetts mayoral candidates in 2011 in 38 cities across the Commonwealth. The study was limited to those candidates who were on the ballot in the November elections, and did not include those who were eliminated in the primaries. 

In the 71 races, candidates raised $3,386,403 and spent $3,549,375, according the reports submitted to the state office. There was no Boston mayoral election in 2011 and therefore the total was much lower than the 2009 statewide total of $7.5 million.

In Marlborough, Vigeant, , submitted receipts for a total of $42,607.05, while his expenditures were listed as $50,172.33.

Jones spent significantly less with $14,382.99 in receipts submitted, and $13,847.61 in expenditures. 

With 2,996 votes, Vigeant spent $16.75 for each vote, while Jones spent $4.69 per vote with a total of 2,954.

According to state records, Marlborough has 20,167 registered voters, with 6,350 identified as Democrats and 2,683 labeled as Republicans. The largest block of Marlborough voters, however, are unenrolled numbering 11,005. 

The report stressed that the winning candidates on average raised and spent significantly more than those who lost, which is reflected in the Marlborough numbers. Statewide, winners spent just over $63,311, while those who lost spent $34,652 on average.

For those interested in viewing the entire report issued by the OCPF, follow this link.

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