OB Staff Report
With a week to go before the November 3 elections, the Rag is taking one last look at how much money candidates have raised in the Council District 2, 4, 6, and 8 races. The data are taken from Follow the Money.org (FTM), a self-described “coalition of non-partisan organizations working together to create transparency for campaign contributions and expenditures with local San Diego candidates.”
To help the public fully understand campaign finance, FTM, where one of the key groups is the League of Women Voters, reports what has been spent in support of a candidate (“why you should vote for X”) and what has been spent in opposition to the candidate (“why you should not vote for X”).
Money spent in support is generally considered “campaign contributions” that are given directly to the candidate or party. They are subject to contribution limits, and they must be publicly disclosed.
Money spent in opposition typically comes through “independent expenditures” by outside groups or individuals for public communications (ads or mailers) for or against a candidate. There are no spending limits, but funders must file disclosure reports and identify themselves in the materials, almost always in small print.
Here are the races:
District 2: Nicole Crosby vs. Richard Bailey
FTM reports that D2 campaign spending leads the city at $2.1 million. Bailey leads all other Council candidates with $771,769 “spending in support,” the combination of campaign contributions and outside expenditures. Groups opposing Bailey spent $332,822 on the race. Crosby shows $372,507 “spending in support” and $153,146 in funding from groups opposing her.
The $771,760 supporting Bailey plus the $153,146 opposing Crosby comes to just under $1 million ($924,906). Whether you think Bailey is messianic or satanic, and opinions are deeply divided, he has pulled this off not long after moving from Coronado to Point Loma and changing his party registration from Republican to Independent.
District 4: Henry Foster III vs. Martha Abraham
FTM reports that D4 campaign spending comes in third in the city at $655,700. Foster shows $367,977 “spending in support,” and groups opposing him have spent $46,566. Abraham shows $210,777 “spending in support” with opposing groups spending $12,004.
For a challenger like Abraham to come that close to an incumbent like Foster is highly unusual. But there are many unusual aspects to the D4 race, which will be the subject of a special Rag report on October 28.
District 6: Kent Lee vs. Mark Powell
FTM shows D4 campaign spending dead last in the city at $315,700. Incumbent Lee shows $121,459 “spending in support” with no spending by opposition groups. Challenger Powell shows $77,657 “spending in support” with opposing groups spending $19,943.
In 2022, first-time candidate Lee pulled in $634,555 with no money opposing him. Four years later, he has raised much less, and his challenger is closing in. It’s lucky for Lee that the Council’s decision to restore free parking in Balboa Park took a powerful issue away from his opponent.
District 8: Antonio Martinez vs. Gerardo Ramirez
FTM shows D8 campaign spending a close second to D2 with $2 million. Ramirez, chief of staff for departing D8 Councilmember Vivian Morena, accounts for the lion’s share of that. He has $1,043,848 “spending in support” with opposing groups spending $86,901 to defeat him. Martinez shows $457,516 “spending in support.” But groups opposing him have spent a whopping $270,003.
Ramirez has benefited from substantial outside expenditures. As reported by inewsource, three-quarters of a $100,000 donation that helped him through the primary came from National Enterprises, the largest single landowner in Otay Mesa. That happens to be where, inewsource noted, “the company has been working to get approvals for a controversial new landfill for years.”
In a few weeks, when the outcomes of all four Council races have been announced, two things are certain to happen.
The people and groups who financially helped the winning candidates will be anticipating how their support will benefit them, their businesses, and their issues.
And news organizations like the Rag will be watching and waiting.
To the victors, we say: Congratulations and best of luck! When the celebrations are over and you start work, remember that your primary obligation is to serve your constituents. And remember that we will be studying every vote you take, every statement you issue, and every deal you make.
