VIDALIA — A look at campaign finance reports shows that through Jan. 25 more than $25,000 has been given and almost $13,000 spent on the Vidalia mayor’s race.

Incumbent Hyram Copeland has significantly outraised and outspent his challenger Buz Craft.

For the period the report covers, Copeland had received $19,300 in cash contributions and $500 in in-kind contributions from 36 donors, and had spent $8,338.84.

During the same period, Craft raised $6,650 from 10 donors and spent $4,585.66.

Of the cash contributors, 21 of Copeland’s — 60-percent — listed addresses outside Vidalia. Four of Craft’s donors — 40 percent — lived outside Vidalia.

Of the non-Vidalia residents or businesses giving to campaigns, 10 of Copeland’s donors had addresses or post office boxes outside of Concordia Parish. Two of the non-parish donors used Natchez addresses, while four used Catahoula Parish addresses.

Craft’s only out-of-parish donor listed a California address. Copeland also had an out-of-state donor, from Florida.

Craft had six donors give the maximum donation of $1,000, the campaign finance cap set by the state for individuals or businesses for local, non-district races. Five of the $1,000 donors to Craft’s campaign came from the Ater family.

Copeland had five donors give the $1,000 cap.

His report also indicates he accepted three donations of $2,500, which is the cap for district-level races — such as state representative — and not municipal elections. Mike Taylor of Pineville, River View Park of Vidalia and The Boles Law Firm of Monroe made the $2,500 donations.

Chris Sommers, the director of the campaign finance and lobbying division of the Louisiana Ethics Commission, said the state has no automatic penalty attached to accepting donations beyond the cap.

The initial step the board would take would be to review the matter and see if the candidate had refunded the excess funds beyond the cap.

“If it was not refunded, it would be sent to the board for further action,” Sommers said. “In the past, usually the candidate refunds it and the board may issue a cautionary letter telling them, ‘You are subject to contribution limits, make sure you don’t exceed those in the future.’”

Sommers said even if a business entity is composed of multiple partners, if the donation is made by the entity it is only counted as a single contribution.

Copeland said anything at variance with the law was completely unintentional, but he had believed $2,500 was the acceptable cap.

After consulting with several people and finding out the cap was $1,000, Copeland said, “I can tell you this, anybody who has overpaid me will have a check to them in the mail tomorrow morning.”

Copeland said he knows a complaint will be filed against Craft because Craft has used several times a conference room at the Comfort Suites — whose owner, Virgil Jackson, gave Craft a $1,000 donation — but did not report it as an in-kind contribution or as a cash expenditure.

Craft said he did not report using the room because he did not understand it as an in-kind expenditure.

“Mr. Jackson said he always offers it to political candidates free of charge, so how do I put down what it costs when he told me it was free?” he said. “I don’t know what the rates are, because I was told from the get-go he offers to all political candidates the free use of his meeting room.”

Craft said his next report would reflect an in-kind contribution for the use of space from The Gables, where he will be hosting a meet-and-greet session. Copeland has already had a campaign event at The Gables, which accounted for his one in-kind contribution, $500.