Transcript Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A local race for state Senate already has generated almost $300,000 in political contributions, documents filed with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission show.

With the June filing period still several weeks away, the contest between incumbent state Sen. Jonathan Nichols, a Republican, and his announced Democratic opponent, Diane Drum, has seen a total of $290,546 donated with $109,072 of those funds raised between Jan. 1 and March 31 of this year.

Nichols reported a total of $200,340 raised for his campaign. Of that figure, $111,432 was carried forward from his previous campaign; $133,240 came in personal contributions, $51,100 from political action committees, and $16,000 in personal loans.

During the first three months of 2008, Nichols raised $69,265 -- $40,165 in personal contributions, $19,100 in contributions from political action committees and $10,000 in personal loans.

Expenditures for the Nichols campaign totaled $25,882 to date, with $6,240 being spent during the first three months of 2008. Nichols reported $174,457 in remaining funds.

Nichols said the amount reflects the support of his legislative work.

"I'm humbled by this showing of overwhelming support," he said. "I believe this reflects the concentrated effort over the past eight years to build Oklahoma, to improve our quality of life and to secure a future for our children."

Fundraising is never easy, he said, and "it's only one part of a successful re-election."

"Speaking with the voters is the most important part and that's what we'll be doing over the next several months," he said. "It's encouraging that a majority of our fundraising is from individuals and a majority of those individuals are residents of Senate District 15."

Drum -- seeking the Senate seat for the first time -- reported a total of $90,206 in campaign contributions. Much of it has come from attorneys. She carried over $44,373 from last year and listed a total of $81,440 in personal contributions; $4,000 from political action committees, $1,957 in loans and $2,809 in in-kind contributions.

During the first quarter of 2008, Drum raised $39,935 in personal contributions and $872 in in-kind contributions.

Total expenditures for Drum's campaign were $5,463 with $1,374 spent from January to March of this year. Drum also listed $1,957 in loans owed by her committee and $81,934 in remaining funds.

Drum said those large numbers "represent a combination of several factors."

"It's a combination of the demographics of the area, along with my motivation for running," she said. "There's a lot that's going on in the political environment, from nationals all the way down to the local level."