The single most disappointing campaign finance report from the July 1 deadline had to be Esther Charlestin’s. The Democratic candidate for governor reported a measly $12,235 in donations, a total that effectlvely sank whatever long-odds hope she had for beating Gov. Phil Scott.

The second most disappointing may have been Thomas Renner’s filing in his bid for lieutenant governor. Renner did better than Charlestin, but his total of $43,194 is not nearly enough to fuel a successful challenge against Progressive/Democratic Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, who entered the race with an $11,158 surplus and has since raised another $111,089.

That total doesn’t include one of the most charming line items in this round of campaign finance filings: Zuckerman gave an in-kind contribution of $420 to himself in “carrots for hand outs at parades.”

Aww, Farmer Dave strikes again.

Anyway, back to Renner.

The case for his surprise entry was something like this: He’s well-connected around the state thanks to his staff work for U.S. Rep. Becca Balint. He has strong ties to both Balint and Pat Leahy, which is a rarity in #vtpoli-world. He’d be in position to take advantage of the antipathy toward Zuckerman in Democratic circles. Also, Zuckerman might be overconfident and allow Renner to sneak past him. But their respective fundraising totals make it clear that Renner has failed to catch fire and Zuckerman is wide awake and on his toes.

And if you think Renner’s total is not that bad, well, there’s a big ol’ worm in the apple. He received major gifts from a small number of Burlington-area business leaders that account for more than half his total haul. These include some familiar names from Stewart Ledbetter’s donor list. People named “Tarrant” gave a total of $15,000; Bruce Lisman and Phyllis Bissonette each kicked in $3,000, and prominent Burlington attorney Pietro Lynn (not on the Ledbetter List) donated another $3,000. That’s $24,000 in large donations from a handful of folks and less than $20,000 from everyone else. Which means that Renner has failed to engage the Democratic donor base to any significant degree.

He did get $1,000 from former state rep Kitty Toll, $1,000 from food industry/agricultural consultant Gregory Vaut, $500 from Burlington real estate broker Yves Bradley, $350 from former Burlington city councilor Joan Shannon, $300 from outgoing Sen. Jane Kitchel’s campaign committee, $250 apiece from former VDP chair Dottie Deans, former Pat Leahy staffer Luke Albee, and Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, and $200 from outgoing Sen. Brian Campion’s campaign committee. What most of those people have in common is their membership in or support for the moderate wing of the Democratic Party. Antipathy toward Zuckerman can be implied if not proven.

Renner’s donor list totals 160 names. Zuckerman’s runs to 399. As usual, his list is dominated by smaller gifts. Many of his donors have given repeatedly and still have plenty of room under the legal maximum.

Customary caveat: Money isn’t everything. But what’s telling about Renner’s performance isn’t the sheer dollar amount; it’s his narrow donor base and his failure to show broad appeal in Democratic circles.

When Renner launched his candidacy in mid-May, shortly before the filing deadline and less than two months before the August primary, there were questions about his belated entry and his ability to take on Zuckerman who, outside of his lopsided 2020 defeat by Gov. Phil Scott (and he has plenty of company on that score), has been a strong performer on statewide ballots.

At the time, I thought Renner had some things going for him. But my conclusion was:

The day to watch is July 1, the next campaign finance filing deadline. If Renner’s got himself a BAG, then he’s a contender. If not, he’s probably roadkill.

No BAG, so it looks like roadkill.

Which again raises the question, why did he run in the first place? If he had a secret plan, it hasn’t worked. Early voting has already begun and there’s barely more than a month until the primary. Makes me think that whatever Renner’s motivation, it wasn’t a realistic belief that he could win this race. The power of self-delusion is strong in the political animal, so maybe he had an unrealistic but firm belief in himself.

Or maybe this race was meant as an introduction to Thomas Renner, Future Candidate. A resumé builder, in other words. Renner is a very young man and could have a long, bright future in politics. If this is a stepping stone for his career plans, I wish him well. Although I wonder if his donors had any idea that’s what they were signing up for.