Outside interests have poured money into local elections this year, but the majority of campaign contributions still come from the candidates’ constituency, data from the state Public Disclosure Commission reveals.
Contrary to claims made by her opponents’ supporters, District 3 Island County commissioner candidate Janet St. Clair has raised more than 80 percent of her war chest from within Island County.
However, about 10 percent of the $90,558 she’s raised comes from outside Island County. Individuals provided $81,000 to her cause.
St. Clair has not received funding from any political action committees, but Washington State Democrats contributed just over $400.
Incumbent Rick Hannold’s campaign has raised about $27,400, most of which came from inside the county. Hannold, a Republican, has also received $45,000 from the local party and $2,500 from political action committees.
During his last campaign, in 2014, Hannold did not raise enough money to require reporting.
Outside of the Island County Republican Party, Hannold’s biggest contributor is Skagit Builders PAC, which contributed $2,000 to his campaign.
In the state race, the House Democratic Campaign Committee seems to be heavily invested in Dave Paul, the Democrat challenging District 10 incumbent Rep. Dave Hayes, R-Camano Island. The committee has put more than $62,000 into Paul’s campaign.
Paul, vice president at Skagit Valley College, also has significant support from teachers’ unions, both statewide and the Oak Harbor Education Association. In all, Paul has raised nearly $161,400 with about $70,870 in donations from individuals.
With a total of $159,239, Hayes has accumulated a similar-sized war chest. Individuals contributed around $43,000, and more than $52,500 came from PACs. The Island County Republican Party represents Hayes’ largest contributor, with a total of $10,000 donated.
The incumbent representative also received more than $5,000 from either oil companies or oil-related PACs. Multiple law enforcement political action committees also contributed significantly to Hayes, who works as a sergeant with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
The other Republican incumbent, Norma Smith, R-Clinton, out-raised her Democratic challenger by more than $49,000.
She also received funding from the oil company Phillips 66 and the BP North America Employee PAC as well as numerous groups that promote sustainable energy and environmental protection.
From Republican parties in Island, Snohomish and Skagit counties, Smith received a total of $8,500. The largest share of her contributions are from individuals, though another $43,700 came from various PACs.
Smith’s support spans from the Washington Affordable Housing Council to the Trucking Action Committee.
• All of the candidate’s contributions and expenditures are available for review online at www.pdc.wa.gov
