Fundraising totals close for District 7; Halter leads big in mayoral race

The most recent campaign disclosure reports for Mat-Su Borough election candidates show vary levels of fundraising success and personal campaign investment. Each campaign must file regular reports with the Alaska Public Offices Commission detailing donors, amounts given, and expenditures.

In the mayoral race, challenger Vern Halter has raised more than $39,000, more than double the total of incumbent Larry DeVilbiss. About $15,000 of Halter’s war chest comes from his own pocket. Even accounting for that, however, he has outraised DeVilbiss. Halter entered the final month of the campaign with just short of $9,000 available, compared to less than $3,000 for DeVilbiss.

In the race for District 7’s seat on the Mat-Su Borough Assembly, former assembly member Doyle Holmes holds a fundraising lead of about $2,500 dollars on opponent Randall Kowalke. Holmes has also outspent Kowalke so far. The vast majority of Holmes’ campaign funds, $10,000, have come from his own pockets, while Kowalke’s campaign lists a large number of non-monetary donations that he paid for personally. Kowalke’s numbers also include a higher number of individual donors as well as a contribution from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.