LaFrance (D) outraises Bronson (R) in final leg of Anchorage mayor's race with both spending massively
May 9—Incumbent Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former Assembly Chair Suzanne LaFrance both raised huge sums of money from donors, according to the latest round of campaign finance reports, which were filed Tuesday and cover the days leading up to the April election and ongoing runoff contest.
LaFrance, however, brought in significantly more donations from both individual donors as well as a powerful independent expenditure group supporting her candidacy, and is spending down those funds more aggressively as the May 14 deadline for ballots to be returned approaches.
Though she received some big four- and five-figure checks, the majority of the $341,183 her campaign reported taking in between March 24 and May 4 in its latest disclosure to the Alaska Public Offices Commission came from more than 1,000 individual donations of $500 or less, in some cases just $5 or $10. According to campaign manager Katie Scovic, more than 1,600 Anchorage residents have donated to LaFrance's election efforts since she launched her campaign last year. The donors reflect a broad swath of occupations, from teachers and lawyers to artists, pilots and a big game guide. They also include plenty of sitting and former elected officials — most of them Democrats, including former Anchorage mayors Mark Begich and Tony Knowles, along with a $1,000 contribution from Assembly Chair Christopher Constant.
The biggest individual donation was a $25,000 contribution from Anchorage developer John Rubini. The second-largest donation, at $10,000, came from former Republican state Rep. Andrew Halcro, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2015, went on to work in the Berkowitz administration and has been a frequent critic of Bronson during his tenure. LaFrance received a number of $5,000 contributions from individuals living outside of Alaska, several of whom work in finance or helm businesses with an Alaska connection.
https://www.aol.com/lafrance-outraises-bronson-final-leg-220500582.html
