Campaign money: Who got it, who gave it?

The biggest donors to candidates running for office in Clark County are headquartered more than 100 miles north on Interstate 5.

The Seattle-based House Democratic Campaign Committee gave the most money to political candidates in Clark County, according to an analysis of the most recent campaign finance filings by The Columbian. The committee gave $131,120 to Tanisha Harris and Kathy Gillespie, two Clark County Democrats running tight races for Legislature this year. The Columbian’s analysis also found the two candidates have relied heavily on donors from Seattle, which have helped push them ahead of their Republican opponents in fundraising.

Both Gillespie and Harris stressed their commitment to representing their communities. They said that raising large amounts of money is part of running a competitive campaign. They also said that they’ve accepted support from allies who share their values and will help them advance their constituents’ interests.

“For me, I’ve always been focused on my home community and the families that are living in the 17th Legislative District,” Harris said. “I would not change.”

These two races have shaped up to be the most expensive in Clark County and have attracted attention from monied interests on both sides of the aisle. In total, $1,558,898 has been raised for 2018 races for Clark County government, Vancouver City Council and several local legislative races (not counting independent expenditures, which are separate from campaigns).

Last year, the Democratic Party won full control of the Legislature. The party holds slim margins in both chambers that it’s hoping to expand in the mid-term elections. With the stakes high, both parties (and others) have taken an interest in the outcome of these races.

Most expensive race

The race between Gillespie, a former Vancouver school board member, and Republican Larry Hoff, a retired credit union executive, has drawn $419,178 in donations, more than any other local race. Both are running for the 18th Legislative District House seat being vacated by Liz Pike and Democrats see it as a chance to pick up a seat long held by Republicans.

In the August primary, Gillespie received 52 percent of the vote to Hoff’s 48 percent.

In a distant second for the most expensive race in Clark County is the one between Harris, a child advocate, and first-term state Rep. Vicki Kraft, R-Vancouver. They are competing in the 17th Legislative District, considered a swing district, and have drawn a total of $179,601 in contributions.

The House Republican Organizational Committee, the campaign arm of the Washington State House Republican Caucus, is the second-largest donor to races in Clark County. It’s given a total of $41,500. Of that total, $31,000 went to Kraft, who’s raised a total of $157,024. Another $10,000 went to Hoff, who’s raised a total of $135,003.

For Hoff, the largest source of out-of-town donations have come from Olympia and totaled $20,250, or 15 percent of his funds. Much of that money has come from groups associated with the building, hospitality, food and banking industries, and Republican political groups.

For Kraft, Olympia is also the largest source of out-of-town donations. She’s raised $44,400, or 28 percent of her total, from individuals or organizations in the state capital. That money has come from business groups associated with trucking, telecommunications, optometry, hospitality and Republican organizations.

“Republicans support me,” said Kraft in a text message. “I’ve also received donations from many individual Republicans locally. I’m thankful for their support.”

The third-largest donor to races in Clark County is the Washington State Democrats, which gave $21,197 to candidates in Clark County. Most of those donations were in-kind donations of labor or materials. The only cash donation was to Eric Holt, Democratic candidate for Clark County Council chair, who received $1,547.

In Seattle’s shadow

Since Democrats retook control of the Legislature, Republicans have complained that their agenda is driven by left-wing Seattle politics.

That theme has popped up in the race between Gillespie and Hoff. Earlier this month, Gillespie sent an e-mail to call attention to how Evergreen Progress, a political committee based in Kirkland, spent $25,000 for a television ad to support Hoff.

“Don’t allow special interests to try and buy voters in the 18th district,” read the email.

The ad features an image of Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant (who is a socialist not affiliated with the Democratic Party) with a voice stating that Olympia is out of balance under one-party rule and is driven by the city’s extreme policies. It ends with images of Kraft and Hoff with a claim they will “restore balance.”

Hoff’s campaign responded to Gillespie with an e-mail with the subject line “Pot, Meet Kettle!” The e-mail pointed out that Gillespie has taken large amounts of money from “Democrat special interests groups” outside of Clark County.

Steve Nelson, director of media of Hoff’s campaign, called Gillespie’s e-mail disingenuous, pointing out that campaigns can’t control independent expenditures. He also cited her contributions from public sector unions and other Democratic-leaning interests.

The Columbian’s analysis of campaign finance records found that Gillespie has received the most money from outside of Clark County. The largest source has been $106,457 from unions, Democratic Party organizations and progressive political groups, such as Planned Parenthood Votes, based in Seattle. That accounts for 37 percent of the $284,175 she’s raised. The second-largest source of funding by location for Gillespie has been from organizations, businesses and individuals based in Vancouver who contributed $87,709.

“I just think that everything I’ve ever done says that I’m my own person,” said Gillespie. “I take very seriously representing the people I work for.”

Gillespie said that the claims that she’s run by Seattle interests are unfair and noted her record of independence while serving on the school board. She also pointed out that her support may come from labor groups that have hundreds of members in Southwest Washington although their check comes from Seattle. As a result, these contributions appear on campaign finance reports as coming from the Seattle.

She said that the money is coming from people who support her vision of good schools, good jobs, a healthy business climate and “all people to have the opportunity to have a roof over their head.”

Harris received the second-largest amount of money from Seattle — $98,619 — much of it coming from groups similar to those supporting Gillespie.

“I don’t buy into the whole Seattle liberal talking point that the Republicans like to throw to at people,” said Harris, who added that these groups also support her values and beliefs.

Both candidates also point out they’ve relied on smaller donations. Indeed, the median donation for Gillespie is $50 and $95 for Harris. In contrast, the median donations for Kraft and Hoff are $250.