Simmons' Grass Roots Support v. Horton's Auslanders

div>After examining the campaign finance reports filed by Michael Horton and Justin Simmons, I can tell you the following:

1) Horton has spent more than $250,000, nearly twice as much as the $127,000 spent by Simmons.

2) Simmons lists 16 pages of small contributions from Lehigh Valley residents, which indicates a lot of grass roots support.

3) Horton has only 22 Lehigh Valley contributors, who gave him just $1,860.

4) Most of Simmons' larger contributions come from the Republican establishment, which indicates that he has repaired much of the damage done during his primary challenge to Karen Beyer.

5) For a supposed hand-picked puppet of Elmer Gates, Simmons comes cheap. The Fuller dude only gave him $600 during this crucial period in the election cycle.

6) There are numerous PayPal transactions, revealing Simmons to be the first LV candidate I've seen who has effectively used the Internet to get numerous, smaller donations.

7) Simmons' biggest contributor is the HRCC, which gave him $25,000.

8) 99% of Horton's money comes from outside his District, including $169,475 from House Dems, $10,000 from Philadelphia leader Dwight Evans, $10,000 from the Guv', and $10,000 from a PAC controlled by a Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer

Based on the numbers, it appears that Simmons is relying heavily on grass roots local support (with the exception of the HRCC). Horton's strategy is to allow outsiders to buy his seat.