[Programming note: Hi everyone! Today’s the day we get the keys to our Big Life Decision and will be busy but there’s a TON of takeaways from the latest fundraising reports so we hope you’re ready for a couple days of us breaking down the big, the weird and the interesting from the reports. And, hey, if you’re a fellow data nerd and have found something particularly big, weird or interesting from the reports, shoot me a tip at [email protected]]
With fewer than 30 days to the primary election, we’ve got a piping hot set of financial disclosure reports filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission that give us the best look so far at how the race for the Alaska Legislature is shaping up.
These reports cover all fundraising activity running from Feb. 2 to July 17, and while money certainly isn’t everything in Alaska politics it sure is a good barometer of races that are competitive or, at the very least, donors hope are competitive.
Today, we’re looking at the topline numbers of each candidate’s 30-day report. It’s a somewhat flawed figure as it doesn’t filter out non-monetary contributions—like perennial candidate Dustin Darden’s non-monetary contribution of $52,000 in “analytic campaign data management” to his own campaign—or candidate contributions of cash—like the $66,221.94 that Republican Jesse Sumner gave to his campaign against Republican Rep. David Eastman.
Alas, this isn’t the Federal Elections Commission.
The big issue at hand in the primary election are all the Republican primary challenges on the slate. Whether you’re a moderate, a “moderate,” a conservative or a far-right goofs, you’re likely facing a primary challenge this year and the outcome will go a long way to shaping the Legislature for the next two years.
Anyways, here’s some quick hits:
- “Moderate” Republicans are ahead. There’s a big target on the “moderate,” South Anchorage Republicans who dared work together with Democrats to fend off some of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s worst impulses during his first year in office. We’re talking Reps. Chuck Kopp, Jennifer Johnston and Gary Knopp (well, he’s Soldotna) and Sens. Cathy Giessel and Natasha von Imhof. They’re all ahead in the overall fundraising against their Republican primary opponents but as Sen. Peter Micciche can tell you from his near-loss in the 2016 primary against Ron Gillham (who’s now running against Knopp) money and incumbency certainly aren’t everything in the extremely polarized, Facebook-heavy Republican primary.
- Some far-right Republicans are lagging. Republican challengers aren’t just on the hunt for RINOs, but they’ve also set their sights on several far-right Republicans. At the top of the list is one Alaska Family Action-endorsed Jesse Sumner, who has raised $81,516.94 ($66,221.94 of which is his own money), easily topping the Rep. David Eastman’s $25,747.43. Take the $5,000 personal contribution out of Kevin McCabe’s $34,214.69 haul and he’s still well ahead of incumbent Republican Rep. Mark Neuman, whose cumulative fundraising stands at $2,500.79. The always-tumultuous House District 9 has incumbent Republican George Rauscher ($10,160.38) lagging well behind challenger LD Howard ($16,023.46).
- It’s not all smooth sailing for Dunleavy Republicans. Several Dunleavy-allied incumbent Republicans are staring down some well-backed general election challengers. At the top of that list is Democratic challenger Liz Snyder, who continued her impressive streak of fundraising with $31,196.02 raised during the latest fundraising period bringing her overall haul to a truly whopping $117,667.93. Clearly, progressives smell blood in the water after incumbent Republican Lance Pruitt veered hard right after a narrow victory against Snyder in 2016. Pruitt’s late entry into the race—after hemming and hawing about running for anything else—hasn’t done him any favors and he currently sits at $17,356.47. Fellow pro-Dunleavy Republican Rep. Sarah Vance is also behind independent candidate Kelly Cooper, who’s translated a popular term on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly into a strong fundraising period. Cooper’s brought in $39,262.76 during the latest quarter bringing her total haul to $46,786.76 while Vance’s fundraising took a hit, bringing in just $9,114.17 during the latest fundraising period to stand at $37,646.60 overall. Out in the Mat-Su, Sen. David Wilson holds a cash advantage ($15,343.45 overall) in his six-way primary, but independent challenger Dan Mayfield sits at the top of the field after raising $18,850 ($10,000 of his own money) for an overall haul of $19,651.32
The numbers
| Name | District | Party | Total Raised | 30-day Raised | Total Spent | Cash on Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bart LeBon | House 01 | R | $21,863.50 | $5,571.55 | $2,098.81 | $19,764.69 |
| Christopher Quist | House 01 | D | $4,202.15 | $4,202.15 | $627.15 | $3,575.00 |
| Bennie Colbert | House 01 | D | $3,991.18 | $3,991.18 | $3,413.19 | $577.99 |
| Steve Thompson | House 02 | R | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $988.04 | $9,011.96 |
| Dave Selle | House 02 | R | $2,552.00 | $2,552.00 | $1,226.57 | $1,325.43 |
| Jeremiah Youmans | House 02 | D | $735.93 | $735.93 | $262.70 | $473.23 |
| Matt Bagodonuts Wasdyke | House 02 | NA (Pending) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Mike Prax | House 03 | R | $277.00 | $277.00 | $277.00 | $0.00 |
| Christina M. Sinclair (Denied) | House 03 | D (Denied) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Grier Hopkins | House 04 | D | $29,342.14 | $22,672.23 | $9,924.14 | $20,664.80 |
| Keith Kurber | House 04 | R | $26,463.51 | $26,463.51 | $14,513.12 | $11,950.39 |
| Adam Wool | House 05 | D | $27,220.85 | $23,720.85 | $4,712.04 | $23,210.01 |
| Kevin McKinley | House 05 | R | $24,185.70 | $12,030.00 | $12,763.94 | $11,421.76 |
| Taryn M Hughes | House 05 | D | $6,329.00 | $6,329.00 | $1,676.34 | $4,652.66 |
| Julia Hnilicka | House 06 | D | $28,423.79 | $17,998.70 | $12,517.65 | $15,906.14 |
| Mike Cronk | House 06 | R | $10,191.41 | $10,191.41 | $6,858.70 | $3,332.71 |
| Julie Morris | House 06 | R | $6,061.98 | $6,061.98 | $3,156.04 | $2,905.94 |
| Elijah Verhagen | House 06 | U (Certified) | $4,269.11 | $4,269.11 | $4,083.40 | $185.71 |
| Ryan Smith | House 06 | R | $186.95 | $186.95 | $36.95 | $150.00 |
| Deborah Williams Riley | House 06 | NA (Pending) | $57.00 | $57.00 | $70.10 | -$13.10 |
| Christopher Kurka | House 07 | R | $16,655.95 | $5,825.95 | $7,752.51 | $8,543.44 |
| Lynn Gattis | House 07 | R | $15,030.00 | $15,030.00 | $7,934.51 | $7,095.49 |
| Jamin L. Burton | House 07 | U (Certified) | $7,003.00 | $3,850.00 | $801.90 | $6,201.10 |
| Colleen Sullivan-Leonard | House 07 | R (Retiring) | $2,501.92 | $0.95 | $2,500.97 | $0.00 |
| Thomas Lamb | House 07 | NP (Withdrawn) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $876.00 | -$876.00 |
| Robert D. Yundt II (Withdrawn) | House 07 | R | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Kevin McCabe | House 08 | R | $34,214.69 | $22,567.34 | $24,450.80 | $9,763.89 |
| Mark Neuman | House 08 | R | $2,500.79 | $1,000.62 | $1,051.26 | $3,449.53 |
| Alma Hartley | House 08 | D | $2,498.51 | $2,498.51 | $2,415.74 | $82.77 |
| LD Howard | House 09 | R | $16,023.46 | $16,023.46 | $8,217.28 | $7,806.18 |
| George Rauscher | House 09 | R | $10,160.38 | $2,030.38 | $7,153.81 | $3,006.49 |
| Bill Johnson | House 09 | D | $8,195.00 | $8,195.00 | $3,240.78 | $6,667.72 |
| Jesse Sumner | House 10 | R | $81,516.94 | $81,516.94 | $51,784.09 | $29,732.85 |
| David Eastman | House 10 | R | $25,747.43 | $12,478.68 | $12,844.55 | $12,902.88 |
| Monica Lynn Stein-Olson | House 10 | D | $7,347.03 | $7,347.03 | $762.82 | $6,584.21 |
| Patricia Faye-Brazel | House 10 | NP (Pending) | $5,986.45 | $336.00 | $5,263.52 | $722.93 |
| DeLena M Johnson | House 11 | R | $13,664.87 | $5,879.54 | $5,433.70 | $8,280.18 |
| Alex Fetta | House 11 | R | $285.00 | $285.00 | $1,313.81 | -$1,028.81 |
| Andrea Hackbarth | House 11 | D | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Cathy L. Tilton | House 12 | R | $14,197.00 | $1,047.00 | $1,230.20 | $14,466.80 |
| Danny Gray | House 12 | NP-D | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Sharon Jackson | House 13 | R | $26,980.01 | $5,725.00 | $11,322.14 | $15,657.87 |
| Ken McCarty | House 13 | R | $15,321.11 | $14,208.43 | $14,411.04 | $910.07 |
| James Allen Canitz, Sr | House 13 | D | $10,000.00 | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | $10,000.00 |
| Kelly Merrick | House 14 | R | $34,768.80 | $4,631.85 | $8,162.57 | $31,118.69 |
| Mike Risinger | House 14 | NA (Pending) | $1,810.01 | $1,810.01 | $878.96 | $931.05 |
| Bruce Batten | House 14 | D | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Tiffany Quirk (Withdrawn) | House 14 | R | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Roger Branson | House 14 | U (Pending) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Gabby LeDoux | House 15 | R | $60,944.00 | $16,045.00 | $13,831.39 | $47,112.61 |
| Lyn Franks | House 15 | D | $15,863.21 | $6,750.19 | $8,735.37 | $7,345.54 |
| David Nelson | House 15 | R | $4,658.00 | $4,658.00 | $3,852.38 | $805.62 |
| Rick Phillips | House 15 | D | $1,390.00 | $1,390.00 | $967.04 | $422.96 |
| Patrick McCormack | House 15 | D | $1,106.95 | $1,106.95 | $1,106.95 | $279.51 |
| Ivy A Spohnholz | House 16 | D | $18,730.00 | $18,730.00 | $7,736.63 | $11,321.17 |
| Scott A Kohlhaas | House 16 | L | $1,000.00 | $1,000.00 | $308.90 | $691.10 |
| Paul Bauer | House 16 | R | $246.36 | $246.36 | $246.36 | $0.00 |
| Andy Josephson | House 17 | D | $17,767.41 | $3,325.00 | $5,278.47 | $15,047.07 |
| Harriet A. Drummond | House 18 | D | $10,425.00 | $1,750.00 | $3,248.73 | $12,176.27 |
| Geran Tarr | House 19 | D | $8,010.45 | $2,600.00 | $2,119.91 | $5,890.54 |
| Zack Fields | House 20 | D | $1,600.00 | $1,600.00 | $4,614.46 | $9,434.80 |
| Matt Claman | House 21 | D | $62,790.08 | $21,013.00 | $12,389.43 | $52,883.49 |
| Lynette Largent | House 21 | R | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Sara Rasmussen | House 22 | R | $56,060.00 | $10,500.00 | $7,300.89 | $48,759.11 |
| Dustin Darden | House 22 | AI | $52,000.00 | $52,000.00 | $52,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Stephen Trimble | House 22 | NA (Pending) | $19,895.40 | $19,895.40 | $7,733.15 | $12,162.25 |
| David Nees | House 22 | AI | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Jan Carolyn Hardy | House 22 | D (Withdrawn) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Kathy Henslee | House 23 | R | $9,780.01 | $9,780.01 | $2,334.24 | $7,445.77 |
| Chris Tuck | House 23 | D | $9,542.11 | $1,751.00 | $0.77 | $9,541.34 |
| Connie Dougherty | House 23 | R | $4,421.49 | $3,420.00 | $1,961.00 | $2,521.82 |
| Timothy R. Huit | House 23 | AI | $376.02 | $376.02 | $376.02 | $0.00 |
| Chuck Kopp | House 24 | R | $55,928.00 | $28,200.00 | $37,396.77 | $19,557.59 |
| Tom McKay | House 24 | R | $23,773.70 | $23,773.70 | $13,460.01 | $10,313.69 |
| Gloria Susan Levi | House 24 | D | $3,958.24 | $3,958.24 | $1,248.65 | $2,709.59 |
| Mel Gillis | House 25 | R | $60,784.99 | $13,619.99 | $11,442.96 | $49,342.03 |
| Calvin Schrage | House 25 | NP-D | $37,723.01 | $23,070.39 | $28,697.40 | $9,025.61 |
| Janice L Park | House 25 | D | $27,927.06 | $14,433.41 | $18,201.37 | $10,061.99 |
| Benjamin Rodriguez | House 25 | R | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Laddie Shaw | House 26 | R | $29,843.87 | $1,256.49 | $1,750.30 | $33,093.57 |
| Liz Snyder | House 27 | D | $117,667.93 | $31,196.02 | $46,775.28 | $72,305.98 |
| Lance Pruitt | House 27 | R | $17,356.47 | $17,356.47 | $1,371.87 | $16,529.90 |
| Jennifer Johnston | House 28 | R | $38,177.18 | $18,460.68 | $12,019.11 | $31,158.07 |
| James Kaufman | House 28 | R | $20,722.13 | $20,722.13 | $7,661.35 | $13,060.78 |
| Benjamin Fletcher | House 28 | NA (Pending) | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $1,227.48 | $1,772.52 |
| Adam S. Lees | House 28 | D | $1,937.00 | $1,937.00 | $664.18 | $1,272.82 |
| Paul D. Dale | House 29 | NP (Pending) | $17,495.00 | $17,495.00 | $9,806.16 | $7,688.84 |
| Ben Carpenter | House 29 | R | $3,534.55 | $2,184.55 | $94.55 | $3,970.37 |
| Gary Knopp | House 30 | R | $24,530.66 | $12,450.00 | $9,909.02 | $19,621.64 |
| Ronald Dale Gillham | House 30 | R | $10,100.00 | $8,100.00 | $4,699.54 | $7,319.66 |
| Kelly Wolf | House 30 | R | $600.00 | $600.00 | $1,672.87 | -$1,072.87 |
| Kelly Cooper | House 31 | NA (Pending) | $46,786.76 | $39,262.76 | $27,769.74 | $19,017.02 |
| Sarah L. Vance | House 31 | R | $37,646.60 | $9,114.17 | $5,521.34 | $32,125.26 |
| Louise B Stutes | House 32 | R | $15,018.33 | $2,250.00 | $1,164.36 | $13,853.97 |
| Peter D Hoepfner | House 32 | D (Withdrawn) | $100.00 | $100.00 | $0.00 | $100.00 |
| Sara Hannan | House 33 | D | $12,809.48 | $2,750.00 | $2,765.15 | $13,252.04 |
| Andi Story | House 34 | D | $32,192.04 | $17,550.20 | $2,401.65 | $29,790.39 |
| Edward King | House 34 | NP (Certified) | $3,653.14 | $3,653.14 | $1,477.37 | $2,175.77 |
| Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins | House 35 | D | $37,705.09 | $16,646.90 | $12,773.50 | $26,627.31 |
| Arthur S Martin | House 35 | R | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Kenny Skaflestad | House 35 | R | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Leslie Becker | House 36 | R | $35,412.08 | $35,412.08 | $10,875.41 | $24,536.67 |
| Dan Ortiz | House 36 | U (Certified) | $23,597.65 | $13,957.65 | $13,730.53 | $12,367.12 |
| Bryce Edgmon | House 37 | U-D | $14,305.00 | $1,950.00 | $68.30 | $18,878.00 |
| Tiffany Zulkosky | House 38 | D | $8,700.00 | $7,700.00 | $388.51 | $13,311.49 |
| Neal Foster | House 39 | D | $4,850.00 | $2,500.00 | $3,320.51 | $6,529.49 |
| Dan Holmes | House 39 | R | $1,865.00 | $1,865.00 | $1,634.29 | $230.71 |
| Tyler L Ivanoff | House 39 | D | $120.00 | $120.00 | $58.00 | $62.00 |
| Elizabeth Ferguson | House 40 | D | $14,560.00 | $14,560.00 | $3,347.92 | $11,212.08 |
| Ely G Cyrus | House 40 | NA (Pending) | $2,315.55 | $0.00 | $1,772.35 | $543.20 |
| Josiah Aullaqsruaq Patkotak | House 40 | NA (Pending) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Marna Sanford | Senate B | NA (Pending) | $37,978.69 | $37,978.69 | $15,605.69 | $22,373.00 |
| John Coghill | Senate B | R | $31,584.99 | $12,309.99 | $4,611.07 | $26,958.92 |
| Robert H Myers Jr | Senate B | R | $4,459.95 | $3,719.95 | $3,376.93 | $1,083.02 |
| Dan Mayfield | Senate D | NP (Pending) | $19,651.32 | $18,850.00 | $4,721.38 | $17,254.76 |
| David S. Wilson | Senate D | R | $15,343.45 | $5,788.45 | $12,513.15 | $7,838.95 |
| Stephen Wright | Senate D | R | $3,849.78 | $2,859.77 | $2,847.78 | $1,059.78 |
| Bernadette Rupright | Senate D | R | $3,420.00 | $3,420.00 | $860.27 | $2,559.73 |
| Loy Thurman "Santa" | Senate D | R | $2,846.29 | $2,846.29 | $1,915.27 | $931.02 |
| Huhnkie Lee | Senate D | R | $575.00 | $575.00 | $1,156.50 | -$581.50 |
| Chandra McCain-Finch | Senate D | R | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Shelley Hughes | Senate F | R | $24,748.47 | $2,087.10 | $3,447.67 | $21,300.80 |
| Gavin Christiansen | Senate F | L (Pending) | $820.00 | $820.00 | $704.00 | $116.00 |
| Stephany Jeffers | Senate F | U-D | $0.08 | $0.08 | $0.00 | $2,011.85 |
| Allan Pi Riordan-Randall (Withdrawn) | Senate F | NA (Withrdrawn) | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Bill Wielechowski | Senate H | D | $23,362.44 | $6,700.68 | $2,722.58 | $20,639.86 |
| Madeleine Gaiser | Senate H | R | $6,385.00 | $6,385.00 | $2,656.06 | $3,728.94 |
| Tom Begich | Senate J | D | $40,873.81 | $5,650.17 | $13,686.66 | $27,192.22 |
| Natasha Von Imhof | Senate L | R | $103,933.87 | $21,271.00 | $11,632.61 | $92,301.26 |
| Jeff Landfield | Senate L | NA (Certified) | $10,650.00 | $10,650.00 | $1,754.62 | $8,895.38 |
| Roselynn Cacy | Senate L | D | $5,389.00 | $5,389.00 | $364.00 | $6,688.89 |
| Stephen J. Duplantis | Senate L | R | $1,770.00 | $1,770.00 | $926.91 | $843.09 |
| Josh Revak | Senate M | R | $75,107.00 | $20,114.00 | $39,102.88 | $40,069.74 |
| Andy Holleman | Senate M | NA (Pending) | $6,355.00 | $6,355.00 | $5,440.55 | $5,914.45 |
| Harold Borbridge | Senate M | R | $1,200.00 | $1,200.00 | $1,200.00 | $0.00 |
| Ray Metcalfe | Senate M | R | $1,020.00 | $1,020.00 | $0.00 | $1,020.00 |
| Nicholas Willile | Senate M | D | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Anita Thorne | Senate M | D | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Cathy Giessel | Senate N | R | $77,863.28 | $28,533.24 | $25,575.38 | $62,287.35 |
| Roger Holland | Senate N | R | $28,404.20 | $16,200.56 | $16,658.00 | $11,746.20 |
| Carl Johnson | Senate N | D | $13,370.00 | $13,370.00 | $5,727.90 | $7,642.10 |
| Carolyn "Care" Clift | Senate N | U | $9,597.08 | $5,821.97 | $3,416.65 | $7,017.67 |
| Lynette Moreno Hinz | Senate N | D | $200.00 | $200.00 | $1,049.66 | -$753.47 |
| Gary Stevens | Senate P | R | $14,000.00 | $12,750.00 | $0.00 | $17,000.00 |
| John Robert Cox | Senate P | R | $2,615.00 | $2,615.00 | $1,924.15 | $690.85 |
| Dr Greg Madden | Senate P | AI | $400.00 | $400.00 | $0.00 | $403.82 |
| Bert Stedman | Senate R | R | $9,900.00 | $4,450.00 | $6,543.39 | $4,154.05 |
| Michael D. Sheldon | Senate R | R | $5,485.00 | $5,385.00 | $2,578.45 | $2,906.55 |
| Donny Olson | Senate T | D | $8,200.00 | $6,500.00 | $10.00 | $9,835.55 |
| Thomas Ikaaq Baker | Senate T | R | $2,357.00 | $2,357.00 | $1,822.74 | $534.26 |
| Calvin Donald Moto II | Senate T | R | $1,215.00 | $1,215.00 | $1,000.00 | $215.00 |
Thank you!