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The July 31 mayoral campaign disclosures went live last night, and it’s looking like Councilmember Muriel Bowser‘s early start has translated into a more than $100,000 advantage in cash on hand.
Muriel Bowser
Raised: $465,272.30. Spent: $40,317.05. Cash on hand: $424,955.25
Bowser’s filing comes with a raft of bold-faced names, including developer Doug Jemal ($2,000) and Wizards co-owner Raul Fernandez ($2,000). Bowser mentor Adrian Fenty‘s two brothers gave Bowser a combined $151, and self-proclaimed Fenty biographer Sinclair Skinner ($250) made a contribution as well. Councilmember-turned-lobbyist John Ray appears on the disclosure ($500), and along Ray client and Northeast produce store owner Sang Oh Choi ($1,000), who has problems with both rats and subpoenas.
Jack Evans
Raised: $377,028.76. Spent: $72,587.92. Cash on hand: $304,440.84
Surprise: businessmen like Jack Evans. Among other donations, Evans received big contributions from Jemal ($2,000), Fort Myer Construction ($2,000), William Regardie ($2,000) and Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis ($2,000). Evans also received money from John Akridge ($1,000), the potential future owner of the Reeves Center, and Ray ($500).
At the Palisades Parade, Evans campaign manager Josh Brown assured LL out of nowhere that the campaign’s impressive candy haul was bought at the D.C. Costco. LL understands the unprompted explanation better now, because Evans’ campaign expenditures record $410.83 in purchases at the Costco in Arlington. Keep that sales tax money in the District, Jack!
Evans’ faced a much larger expense in his U Street campaign office, which came to a combined $18,827 in rent and utilities.
Tommy Wells
Raised: $268,107.99. Spent: $126,119.06 Cash on hand: $141,988.93.
Wells raised $268,107.99 between his exploratory committee and campaign, an impressive figure considering his self-imposed ban on corporate and PAC donations.
“That’s a quarter of a million dollars,” Wells enthuses to LL. “People have run citywide campaigns for other offices in D.C. for far less than that.”
Wells isn’t going cheap on his research, though. His campaign spent $13,750 on oppo research firm Nesbitt Research and $14,575 on pollster Celinda Lake.
Reta Lewis
Raised: $75,283.06. Spent: $12,544.19 . Cash on hand: $62,738.87 .
Relative no-name Clintonite Reta Lewis still managed to bring in more than $75,000, with about a tenth of it coming from her native Georgia.
Christian Carter
Raised: ???. Spent: ???. Cash on hand: ???.
Mayoral candidate Christian Carter’s filing hasn’t appeared on the Office of Campaign Finance’s website. LL is waiting to hear back from Carter.
Money photo by Shutterstock