Andrew Friedson, a former adviser to state Comptroller Peter Franchot, has maintained his fundraising lead in the District 1 Montgomery County Council race and has more than double the campaign cash of his closest competitor, according to financial disclosure reports.
Friedson reported having $245,300 in cash on hand in the latest campaign finance report filed with the state Board of Elections by the deadline Tuesday night. Friedson is running against former Kensington Mayor Pete Fosselman, former county Planning Board member Meredith Wellington, state Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez (D-Chevy Chase), tax attorney Reggie Oldak, benefits professional Jim McGee, small business owner Bill Cook and social worker Dalbin Osorio in the June 26 Democratic primary.
Fosselman reported the second-most campaign cash with about $114,300. Wellington was third with $77,800, followed by Oldak with $65,800 and Gutierrez with $56,350. McGee reported having raised $7,900; Osorio, $3,550; and Cook, $2,000.
The only Republican who filed to run in the race is college student Richard Banach, who didn’t file an updated fundraising report earlier this month as required by the state. He said during a March candidates’ forum he was running to gain political experience. As a result, the Democratic primary will likely determine who represents District 1 on the council for the next four years.
[Related – Bethesda Beat Election Guide for District 1]
Roger Berliner, the incumbent District 1 council member, is running for county executive.
Friedson and Wellington both spent a little over $60,000 on their campaigns from mid-January through mid-May, while Oldak spent slightly more than $50,000. Fosselman spent about $20,500 over the past four months, while McGee spent $6,000 and Gutierrez just $2,000.
Friedson, Wellington and Fosselman are using traditional campaign financing and are able to accept individual contributions up to $6,000 each. Wellington bolstered her campaign account in June and January with $66,000 in personal loans. Fosselman and his husband, Duane Rollins, loaned his campaign about $10,800 in January, while Friedson loaned his campaign about $1,750.
Oldak and Gutierrez are the only two candidates who have qualified to receive funds through the county’s public campaign financing system. District council candidates using the system must raise at least $10,000 in individual contributions of $150 or less from at least 125 county residents. Those contributions are then matched with multiples of public funds.
Oldak has already received $125,000 in public funds—the maximum a district council candidate can receive. She can continue to raise contributions of $150 or less, but those won’t be matched with county funds, which limits her ability to add more money to her campaign account during the final stretch.
Gutierrez has received $35,350 in public funds so far, according to her latest campaign finance report.
On May 15, McGee requested about $36,500 in public funds after reporting that his campaign received $10,900 in eligible contributions. However, the state board needs to review the request before the funds are disbursed, which typically happens within 10 days.
Cook and Osorio, who both planned to use the public financing system, failed to meet the threshold requirements before the May 15 filing deadline and therefore are no longer eligible to apply for matching public funds for the primary contest.
Katz now has nearly double the campaign cash as challenger Shnider
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District 3 candidates Sidney Katz, left, and Ben Shnider
Incumbent District 3 council member Sidney Katz appears ready to outspend his upstart progressive challenger Ben Shnider in the final month of the Democratic primary campaign for the council seat representing Gaithersburg and Rockville.
Shnider, who had $112,100 in campaign cash at the beginning of January, spent about $103,400 from January through mid-May and raised about $42,050 during that time. That left him with just under $51,000 in his campaign account. Shnider is using traditional campaign financing.
Meanwhile, during that time, Katz spent $33,810 and continued to receive matching funds through the county’s public campaign financing system, leaving him with $106,500 heading into the final month before the primary. So far, Katz has received about $110,700 in public funds and requested the final $14,300 to hit the $125,000 limit for district council candidates.
No Republicans filed to run for the District 3 seat.
Shnider, 29, a former political director for J Street, has worked to position himself as a more progressive choice when compared to Katz, 68, who served as Gaithersburg mayor for 18 years before being elected to his first term on the council in 2014. Katz has cited his recent vote to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour and his support for universal prekindergarten as reasons why voters should support him. Shnider has said the current council has failed to alleviate traffic issues and he would like to expand rail service and bus rapid transit in the county.
[Related – Bethesda Beat Election Guide for District 3]
