Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.
While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.
This article lists top fundraisers in the North Carolina State Senate, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the State Senate submitted to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE). It includes activity between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2021.
Top fundraisers in the North Carolina State Senate by party
The top fundraisers in North Carolina State Senate elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they are on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.
In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers were:
- Jay Chaudhuri – $164,031
- Sydney Batch – $103,043
- Graig R. Meyer (District 23) – $101,891
- Kirk deViere – $82,523
- Michael Garrett – $81,750
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers were:
- Phil Berger – $671,074
- Brent Jackson – $402,879
- Jim Perry (District 3) – $165,581
- Lisa Barnes – $90,926
- Dave Craven – $78,446
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $946,972 in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $2.22 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021, filing period raised $3.17 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 56 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 63 percent of all Republican State Senate fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top ten fundraisers during this period.
TOP TEN FUNDRAISERS – NORTH CAROLINA STATE SENATE (January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021)
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Phil Berger | Republican Party | $671,074 | $157,914 |
| Brent Jackson | Republican Party | $402,879 | $90,501 |
| Jim Perry | Republican Party | $165,581 | $166,043 |
| Jay Chaudhuri | Democratic Party | $164,031 | $116,746 |
| Sydney Batch | Democratic Party | $103,043 | $28,964 |
| Graig R. Meyer | Democratic Party | $101,891 | $31,528 |
| Lisa Barnes | Republican Party | $90,926 | $23,865 |
| Kirk deViere | Democratic Party | $82,523 | $28,012 |
| Michael Garrett | Democratic Party | $81,750 | $57,806 |
| Dave Craven | Republican Party | $78,446 | $35,732 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate PACs submitted to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE). Candidate PACs represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate PACs. In 2022, Transparency USA will publish campaign finance data after the following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.
| Report Name | Report Due Date |
| 2022 Semiannual | 1/28/2022 |
| 2022 Q1 Plus | 5/10/2022 |
| 2022 Semiannual (only candidates not on 2022 ballot) | 7/29/2022 |
| 2022 Q3 Plus | 10/31/2022 |
| 2022 Q4 | 1/11/2023 |
| 2022 Year End Semiannual (only candidates not on 2022 ballot) | 1/27/2023 |
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.