Dardenne triples campaign cash, but Nungesser leads financially

Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne filed a new campaign finance report Friday with the state Ethics Board showing a threefold increase in money. It may be enough to keep other challengers at bay, but Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, a fellow Republican, is standing pat. Dardenne has so far raised $650,000 for his re-election campaign, and he can boast having roughly $530,000 in his bank account. But there’s probably more out there for the taking. Dardenne was able to raise more than $1.8 million for his special election campaign last year. Dating back to his days as a state senator, Dardenne has taken pride in never having to use his own money on a campaign, despite the growing trend to do so among major candidates. “I’m very proud of the money we’ve raised and the manner in which we’ve raised it,” says Dardenne. According to Nungesser’s most recent report, he’s topping Dardenne financially, with nearly $875,000 cash on hand. Of that tally, $500,000 came personally from Nungesser, while the rest came from individual donors. —Jeremy Alford