MARIETTA - Army Capt. Hunter Hill of Vinings, a Republican, has raised more money than incumbent state Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna), but he still has an uphill battle in his quest for the State Senate Sixth District, said Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon.

"I think Doug's probably pretty confident. It's a heavily Democratic senate seat," said Bacon, who describes himself as mostly Republican, but never one to vote a straight ticket.

"It's basically 60 percent Democratic. That's a lot. And with the presidential election, there are a lot of African-Americans who live in the district who will turn out to vote," Bacon said.

Stoner's spokesman, Carlos Vilela, said he found Bacon's comments encouraging.

"Max knows Smyrna like the back of his hand," Vilela said.

Stoner has raised $112,295 since the campaign began, and had $55,842 on hand as of Sept. 30, according to his disclosure report. In the July 1 through Sept. 30 reporting period, he took in $51,688.

Hill has raised $150,436 since the campaign began - $92,308 of that in the last three months. As of Sept. 30, he had $86,736 on hand.

"That's an indication of the support we're getting. And it's people, not political action committees or lobbyists, donating. We've had positive responses going door-to-door," Hill said.

With about 80,000 registered voters in the sixth district, Hill said he can't knock on every door, so he's making a targeted effort to seek out Democratic and independent households, hoping Republican voters already know about his conservatism and military background through his advertising campaign.

Hill has gotten donations of $2,300 from state Sen. Eric Johnson (R-Savannah); realtor Frank J. Rhodes of Atlanta; and Christopher Cochran of Atlanta, a counselor.

Other donors include John G. Alston, president of JGA Corp., a supplier of exterior building products ($2,000); David Shafer Senate Committee of Duluth ($1,000); Friends of Tommy Williams of Lyons ($1,000); Atlanta-based All Children Matter, the political action committee for school choice headed by David Morgan of Austell, a Cobb school board candidate ($500); Galleria-based businessman Stiles Kellett, who was involved in a high profile Cobb Superior Court trial over his retirement home business last year, ($500), and Edward M. Tate of Atlanta, deputy counsel in the Governor's Office ($500).

Hill's largest expenditure was $17,756 with IB Builders of Marietta for campaign marketing materials. He said he hasn't conducted any polls because they are too expensive.

Stoner, too, has received several big checks. His biggest donors, who gave $2,300 each, are Brantley Barrow of Hardin Construction; Cousins Properties of Atlanta; and Tim Golden for State Senate, Valdosta.

Other donors include Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis, Mo., ($1,000); Vote Choice ($1,000); David Connell, regional manager for Georgia Power, ($1,000); The Barnes Law Group, Marietta, ($1,000); former Cobb Commission Chairman Earl Smith, ($1,000); Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals ($1,000); the Cobb County Association of Educators, ($500); Malaika Rivers of the Cumberland Community Improvement District, ($500); Steven Labovitz of McKenna Long & Aldridge, a firm that has performed tax allocation district work for Marietta, ($250); and Cobb EMC CEO Dwight Brown, ($200).

Stoner's biggest expenses were $7,650 for polling by Cooper & Secrest, of Alexandria, Va., on Aug. 2. He spent $8,550 more with the firm on Aug. 15.

Vilela said he would not release the results until after the election.

Among Hill's critiques of Stoner is his involvement in TADs.

For example, last year the Cobb Board of Education loudly rebuked Stoner for sponsoring a bill that the school board said would have prevented it from doing its due diligence when investigating TAD requests. In response to Stoner's Senate Bill 225, which was cosponsored by state Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) and state Sen. Judson Hill (R-east Cobb), the board voted to place a moratorium on all requests for TAD financing until either the Legislature repealed it or Gov. Perdue vetoed it.

That moratorium was lifted when Perdue vetoed Stoner's bill on May 30, 2007.

Others have pointed out how Stoner's father, businessman B.A. "Bogey" Stoner, of Smyrna, announced summer 2007 that he was working on $150 million, 25.5-acre mixed-use development along Powder Springs Street between Garrison and Sandtown Roads, and would seek $10 million to $15 million through TAD financing. That project has yet to occur.

Vilela defended the senior Stoner.

"Bogey Stoner is a good businessman, an honorable businessman," Vilela said.

Hill said Stoner mixes his family business with his service as a legislator, which presents a clear conflict of interest.

Vilela said Stoner is just trying to support a tool that would help revive the community.

"I don't see an ethics violation in working for the community," he said.

Stoner could not be reached by press time Monday.

Hill said he recognizes if everyone who votes for Obama votes Democratic on the rest of the ticket, he probably won't win.

"We're hoping people don't vote a straight ticket," he said.

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