With the election to fill a vacancy in the state House of Representatives coming down to its final days, campaign contribution reports expose a highly contentious race in a district where the last two elections were won without a challenge.

Local political heavyweight E. Culver “Rusty” Kidd has taken in $45,025.09 in his attempt to be the second generation of Kidd to represent Milledgeville-Baldwin County in the state House of Representatives.

But that money didn’t come entirely from well wishers, friends and colleagues who would like to roll with Rusty into the state capitol in January. Kidd contributed $20,000 toward his own independent campaign to beat out a field of Democratic and Republican rivals.

And although Kidd has said he ran as an independent so he wouldn’t be beholden to any political party, his campaign hasn’t been a completely non-partisan effort as he’s amassed donations from state Sen. Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, $100; state Sen. Ronnie Chance, R-Tyrone, $500; and Democratic state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, $250.

But not all political interests need a (r) or (d) by their name. Kidd’s campaign collected $4,350 from eight political action committees including the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia, the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals, GILA-Consumer Credit People for Responsible Government, Georgialink PAC for good government, GSA PAC Committee for responsible Health Care, Georgia Bankers PAC, Georgia Optometric Association PAC and the AIA SEINPAC-GA.

Organizations and associations representing business interests — including the Committee of Automobile Retail Dealers of Georgia, the Georgia Independent Automobile Dealers Association Inc., the Georgia Mining Association and several member businesses of the Georgia Industrial Loan Association — contributed $1,950.09 to see Kidd elected.

Kidd raised the other $17,875 from a who’s who of local, state and national people and businesses, with some notables including Dean Grant, Billy Brack, Milledgeville Mayor Richard Bentley, Jake Goldstein, Doyle Beckham and Pittman Wrecker.

Kidd also received $800 in in-kind contributions of barbecue from Chet Daniel, Jimmy Ivey, Mike Prosperi and Chester Gunby.

In that same period since Kidd filed his declaration of intention to accept contributions in June and Oct. 20, his campaign spent $21,368.71.

Of the total quoted above, Kidd spent $2,587.40 with local media outlets, including $1,734.15 with this publication, for campaign ads. In other disseminated materials — billboards, mail outs and campaign signs — Kidd spent $6,038.35.

Other costs included $8,951.51 in campaign consulting and $1,273.30 to hold an old-fashioned political barbecue earlier this month.

Supporters of Republican candidate Angie Gheesling-McCommon dug deep into wallets and pocketbooks to see Milledgeville-Baldwin County’s development czar represent the 141st District in the 2010 session of the General Assembly.

Gheesling brought in nine $1,000 — contributions from the likes of local business owner Randale Johnson, Magnolia State Bank President Tullie Jones, his wife Judy and the Friends of Jerry Keen PAC.

Keen is a Republican state representative from St. Simons Island who currently serves as the House Majority Leader in the state Legislature.

The PAC of the state House Majority Whip, Rep. Jan Jones, R-Alpharetta, contributed $500 to support Gheesling.

But Gheesling didn’t limit contributions to those above the $101 threshold that requires itemization. She raised another $2,250 in small donations.

Gheesling family members Comer Gheesling and Brooke McCommon made in-kind contributions including $700 worth of fish and food for Gheesling’s campaign fish fry a couple weeks ago, sign posts for her campaign signs and campaign balloons.

Possibly foreseeing a run-off in her future, Gheesling has spent only $1,647.20 of her total contributions.

Of those expenditures, the two largest came in the form of a billboard ad by Atlanta-based Magic Media and campaign t-shirts that cost her $381.60 from Charlie Woods Imagewear in Macon.

Other expenditures included stamps, stationary and facility rental.

Gheesling had $13,202.80 on hand as of the Oct. 20 filing deadline.

Political newcomer Casey Tucker has collected a little less than half of his Republican rival, reporting contributions of $5,886.63 with 15 days left before the special election.

Of that money, $2,868.63 was collected in donations smaller than $101. But Tucker benefited from a $2,400 contribution for the conservative RightMarch.com PAC. The other $618 Tucker collected in itemized contributions came out of his own pocket and from Grantville resident Kenneth Dow, who contributed $118.

Tucker has spread his expenditures out, spending $756.43 on a mailer, $385.29 on yard signs and $646.81 to rent an e-mail list.

Tucker put $225 back into the city he hopes to represent by manning a booth at last weekend’s Deep Roots festival.

Tucker still has $2,185.99 on hand, should he make it to a run-off.

And the race’s lone Democrat Darrell Black is reporting contributions of $4,074, with only $950 coming in cash from three sources.

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1996 gave Black $200. State Rep. Kathy Ashe, D-Atlanta, contributed $500 to her fellow Democrat. And Macon resident Lauren Logan Benedict chipped in the other $250.

Black contributed to his own campaign to the tune of $2,774 for TV ads and a billboard.

The Georgia House Democratic Caucus also made an in-kind contribution of $1,300 for a walking card.

Although these disclosures give an accurate sense of what candidates are doing up until the filing deadline, they do not provide an accurate reflection of all the monies that are poured into and out of a special elections campaign.

In the special election cycle, candidates are only expected to file campaign contribution and expenditure disclosure reports to the Georgia State Ethics Commissions one time, just 15 days before the election.

Once candidates have exhausted the five business day grace period, voters have seven days to find out who is contributing what to candidates and how candidates are using those contributions.

Further muddying things, there is no filing period for disclosing contributions and expenditures made between 15 days before the special election and the Dec. 1 run-off election. The next filing date is Dec. 31, just days before candidates are sworn in for the start of the session.