Fundraising is well underway in the race for the open state Senate race in the Saginaw Bay region. The early numbers provide insight into the state of primary races at around the halfway mark in the lead up to election night on Feb. 3.
The 35th state Senate District race will determine whether the Michigan Democratic Party maintains a one-seat advantage in the chamber. If the GOP wins, the state Senate will be tied at 19 seats for each party, making Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist the tiebreaking vote on legislation.
According to the most recent Secretary of State data that included fundraising totals through mid October, former Dow employee Christian Velasquez and Saginaw lawyer Jason Tunney have both raised the most money for the GOP primary.
Velasquez has a slight fundraising advantage with over $158,451 while Tunney has raised $127,056, according to the Secretary of State. Both candidates have loaned $100,000 to their campaigns.
“One hundred thousand dollars is a larger number for a state race, though not necessarily for a state Senate campaign,” said David Takitaki, a political science professor at Ferris State University. He added that these kinds of campaign loans are common to pay for early expenses.
Loans are useful, Takitaki said, because candidates can’t raise money until after they file. The deadline to file for this special election was Sept. 30. However, several candidates declared their candidacy and began raising money months before Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the race.
“In the initial stages of the campaign, you might have a lot of front-loaded expenses that could include office space," Takitaki said. "If you're employing people... it might even include things like trying to get certain elements of your petitions together."
When the campaign makes money via contributions, the candidate can then pay themselves back, he added.
State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh has outraised her Democratic opponents. She has accumulated $73,857.61 in contributions, Secretary of State data shows.
Saginaw Democratic Party Chair Brandell Adams has raised $30,480 and Saginaw Fire Captain Chedrick Greene has $24,167 in contributions.
Some candidates either have reported no filings or have comparatively fewer contributions.
Republican and former Saginaw Councilman Andrew Wendt has $10 in contributions. Dr. Martin Blank, a Democrat, who was formerly a Republican, has $6,743.28. Blank’s fundraising consists of in-kind contributions, which are non-monetary donations.
Three other candidates, Republican Chadwick Twillman, and Democrats Serenity Salak and Dr. William Morrone, do not have filings.
Takitaki says there could be a number of reasons a candidate hasn’t filed. It could be that they have not yet raised funds or do not expect to engage in fundraising.
“When I'm consulting with candidates, treasurer can be the hardest position to find," Takitaki said. "It is the position of greatest trust and the one position on the campaign that normally has a potential legal liability for doing it right."
Primary elections will be held on Feb. 3.
