Even though it’s considered an off-year, it’s been a pretty hot election season on Whidbey Island. Candidate forums have been crowded beyond capacity. Letters to the editor continue to pour in.

And Island County residents have donated thousands of dollars to their favored candidates. It’s money that goes to fund newspaper and radio ads, campaign literature and all those campaign signs on the sides of roads.

Trends in who’s donating money to which candidates may tell as much about about a particular candidate as anything else.

There’s a stark contrast, for example, between who’s contributing to the two candidates for Legislative District 10 in the Washington State House of Representatives, according to forms the candidates are required to file with the state Public Disclosure Commission.

Barbara Bailey, an Oak Harbor resident, has raised more than $96,000 so far, which puts her in the top 10 fund-raisers among candidates for the State House. Challenger Eron Berg of LaConner raised $84,629 as of Oct. 8.

Bailey and Berg both received many small donations from individuals all over the district. What sets them apart are the larger donors.

It’s largely what one might expect, given each candidate’s political affiliations. Bailey, a Republican, has received thousands of dollars from large insurance agencies, particularly medical insurance companies — including Allstate, Physicians Insurance, Premera Blue Cross, Safeco and Pemco. She’s received a lot of financial support from large corporations, notably Pfizer, Chevron Texaco, Boise Cascade and Weyerhaeuser.

Bailey’s financial supporters also include plenty of business-related political action committees and associations, such as Far West Agribusiness Association, Washington Beer and Wine Wholesaler PAC, Washington Retail Association, Washington Association of Realtors and Skagit-Island Builders.

On the other hand, Democrat Berg has received monetary support from many labor unions, including the Iron Workers District Council, Washington Teamsters, Laborers Local 278 and 901, Laborers International, the state Council of Firefighters and the Washington Federation of State Employees.

Berg, like many Democrats, also seems to have the support of teachers and school administrators. The Washington School Administrators, the Washington School Principals, state public employees as well as individual teachers and administrators, have handed him money.

The candidates for Island County positions rely much more on individual donors. Both incumbent Island County Commissioner Bill Thorn, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Bill Byrd built their campaign war chests mainly with many small donations from residents.

As of Oct. 9, Thorn claimed to receive $13,460 in donations. Byrd claimed $9,858 as of Sept. 30.

Among the larger and notable donors to Byrd’s campaigns are the Washington Association of Realtors, the Skagit Island Builders PAC and the two county commissioners, Mac McDowell and Mike Shelton.

Thorn received money from several environmental-minded folks, including the Whidbey Island No-Spray Coalition and John Graham of the Langley Giraffe Project.

In the race for Island County prosecutor, incumbent Greg Banks has raised nearly four times more money than challenger Kelly Barlean. Banks, a Democrat, raised over $26,000 by Oct. 8 and Republican Barlean raised $6,859, according to forms filed Oct. 15.

The list of contributors to Banks’ campaign includes dozens upon dozens of residents from all over the island. Many different attorneys in the county gave him money, as did a couple of retired law enforcement officers.

Barlean didn’t receive as much cash from individuals or lawyers, but he did get a sizeable donations from the Oak Harbor Police Association. Also, the former county prosecutor and the chief administrative deputy in the Sheriff’s Office supported him financially.

Ironically, County Treasurer Maxine Sauter, a Republican, seemed a little confused in filling out her PDC financial forms. One form, “B amended,” states she received $3,598 of in-kind contributions from herself. Then on another form, she wrote that she received $3,598 of in-kind contributions from the South Whidbey Republican Women’s Club.

In addition, Sauter wrote in her C-3 amended form that she received a total of $3,598 in donations, but another form states she received $700 in cash from Republican women’s clubs — plus the $3,598. The numbers don’t add up.

Sauter’s Democratic challenger Linda RIffe raised $10,670 by Oct. 8. Her contributions come mainly from residents throughout Whidbey Island.