Patrick, Democrats far outpace rivals in August money race

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick, his running mate, and the state Democratic Party raised more than twice as much money last month as their Republican counterparts, further evidence of a significant momentum shift in the battle for campaign cash.

Patrick, Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray, and the state Democratic Party hauled in $988,127 last month, easily outpacing the $418,581 raised by Baker; his running mate, Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei; and the state Republican Party.

For months, Baker and the Republicans had been bringing in more cash than Patrick and the Democrats. But the governor, after a sluggish start to his re-election campaign, has begun aggressively soliciting money in hopes of winning a second term.

August saw the governor hold a $500-a-head fundraiser at hotelier Dick Friedman's home on Martha's Vineyard, which was attended by White House adviser Valerie Jarrett and coincided with President Obama's trip to the island. Last month, Patrick also organized a major fund-raiser with singer John Legend at the home of Fireman Capital Partners CEO Dan Fireman, and a fund-raiser in New York at the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery, where former Republican governor and Baker mentor William F. Weld is a partner.

State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, who was a prodigious fund-raiser before he left Democratic party last year to run for governor as an independent, has seen his numbers plummet in recent months. He and his running mate, former state representative Paul Loscocco, raised just $30,619 last month. Cahill, however, this week decided to accept up to $750,000 in public campaign funds in exchange for limiting his spending to $1.5 million.