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RALEIGH — Former City Councilman Don Vaughan has opened a wide fundraising advantage on his rival in the race to replace state Sen. Kay Hagan in the legislature.

Vaughan, a Democrat, had $66,604.13 in the bank at the beginning of July after spending more than $23,000 since opening his campaign this year, according to his second-quarter campaign finance report.

Republican Joe Wilson had $1,261.94 in the bank after spending a little more than $2,000 since the beginning of the year, his reports show.

But Wilson said that Vaughan’s big fundraising numbers should raise questions in voters’ minds about the Democrat.

“Why does Progress Energy have an interest in Don Vaughan’s campaign?” Wilson said, referring to a $1,000 contribution Vaughan received in April from the PSNC Energy Political Action

Committee. “Why does he get money from every PAC left, right and otherwise? The thing that concerns me the most is the amount of influence he is succumbing to in Raleigh and other parts of the state, the number of interests he’s aligning himself with that have nothing to do with District 27.”

Vaughan said he is not influenced by the contributions and is pleased to have wide support.

“I’ll not be beholden to anyone going to the North Carolina General Assembly,” Vaughan said. “Joe (Wilson) has had an equal opportunity to raise money, and he’s failed to do so.”

Wilson said it has not been his ambition to raise as much as Vaughan.

“I get money from ordinary people normally,” Wilson said. He does have a number of small-dollar donations listed on his campaign finance forms.

Wilson acknowledged that campaign finances can make a difference. He lost a City Council campaign in 2007 after being widely outspent by his rival.

In three other legislative races, Democratic incumbents running for state House have wide fundraising margins over their Republican rivals. For example, Lexington Democrat Hugh Holliman has more than $76,000 on hand to run his District 81 fall campaign against challenger Alica Powell Brown.

In Guilford County, Rep. Alma Adams enjoys a wide fundraising lead over Republican Olga Morgan Wright in District 58, and Rep. Maggie Jeffus leads Republican Jim Rumley in District 59 fundraising, according to the candidates’ reports. Both races are repeats of 2004 and 2006 matchups.

Other fundraising items of note:

* Despite having no challenger in the spring primary or general election, Rep. Earl Jones, a Greensboro Democrat, spent $2,723.63. Some of that spending went to poll workers for the primary May 6.

“I try to supply poll workers to help out our (George Simkins Memorial) PAC, as far as trying to get certain people elected,” Jones said. The Simkins PAC is a political institution in

Greensboro African American community, and Jones is a member of its board.

He said other spending has gone toward certificates for local students who make honor roll and other items meant to raise his profile in the community.

“It’s different things that I do so that people know that I’m accessible and available,” Jones said.

* Despite having no rival for the fall campaign, Sen. Phil Berger, an Eden Republican, had more than $92,000 in his campaign account.

Berger is the Republican minority leader in the Senate, and it is likely much of the money he has raised will go to help fellow Republicans.

* The 13 candidates on the ballot in Guilford County legislative races this fall had $336,721.91 on hand as of July 1.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com