Here's an interesting tidbit from Fred Smith's campaign finance records.
Don Beason, the now-retired lobbyist who loaned disgraced former House Speaker Jim Black $500,000, donated to Smith's campaign in 2004.
According to Follow the Money, Beason gave a total of $3,000 in 2003 and 2004.
He's not the only gubernatorial candidate either. State Treasurer Richard Moore got $2,000 in 2000 and another $2,000 in 2006 from Beason.
Attorney General Roy Cooper, state Sens. Walter Dalton and Robert Pittenger, and Rep. Bill Daughtridge, all running for statewide office in 2008, also received donations from Beason in recent years.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with the contributions, but given the likely focus on state corruption in Raleigh in the fall campaigns they sure can't help.
