Runoff candidates who followed the rules for receiving disbursements from Austin’s Fair Campaign Finance Fund are expecting to receive thousands of dollars to help them in the Dec. 13 runoff election. Those candidates include Daniela Silva and Linda Guerrero and possibly José Velásquez, Zohaib Qadri and Ryan Alter. Silva and Velásquez will be competing in […]
Campaign Finance
Posted inElections
Reports show wide disparities in fundraising among candidates
Last week, candidates running for City Council submitted their final campaign finance reports before Tuesday’s election, revealing a wide array of funds across campaigns and districts. DISTRICT 9 With Council Member Kathie Tovo stepping down, numerous people are vying to take the downtown seat. The major contenders seem to be Linda Guerrero, Tom Wald and […]
Posted inElections
Reports show Watson spending far ahead of the pack
Mayoral candidate Kirk Watson, who wishes to claim the center seat again, has raised and spent far more money than any other candidate in his race – or any of the others up for election next week. Watson, a former mayor and former senator, reported that he had spent more than $830,000 while receiving more […]
Posted inElections
Campaign finance reports show who’s got the money
With less than a month to go before Election Day, the latest campaign finance reports show that in the mayor’s race, former senator and mayor Kirk Watson continues to outraise his opponents by large margins. According to records filed Tuesday, Watson had raised more than $244,600 since July and still has more than $821,000 in […]
Posted inElections
Local campaign contribution limits to rise ahead of November election
Inflation isn’t only driving up mortgage interest rates, gas prices and the city’s living wage. It’s also behind proposed increases to the city’s campaign contribution limits, which cap how much money City Council candidates can accept from individual and out-of-town donors. The campaign contribution limits are tied to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer […]
Posted inElections
Watson had help from bundlers, but not that much
In his campaign to become Austin’s next mayor, Kirk Watson has already gained the title of the city’s most prodigious fundraiser for a political race. He raised more than $997,000 in time for the July 15 report. Although he had some help from a dozen “bundlers,” people who collect funds on behalf of a candidate, […]
Posted inElections
First financial reports offer a glimpse into City Council campaigns
It’s that time of year again. Candidates for city elections late last week shared how much money they’ve raised so far in accordance with the city’s campaign finance reporting deadline on July 15. Here, we’ll break down the results from every race. While a strong financial report doesn’t mean a candidate is bound to win […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Judge denies Virden’s request for injunction
Federal District Judge Robert Pitman has denied political candidate Jennifer Virden’s request for a preliminary injunction to prevent the city from enforcing its campaign finance law. Virden immediately filed an appeal. Virden, who lost in a runoff last December to City Council Member Alison Alter for the District 10 seat, had asked the court to […]
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Ballot item backers report $100K in donations
Austinites for Progressive Reform, the group that’s sponsoring propositions D, E, F, G and H on the May 1 ballot, has reported raising more than $100,000 since the beginning of the year to fund its campaigns. The group has spent more than $50,000 and has cash on hand of more than $69,000, according to its […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Small group funding push for strong mayor
Andrew Allison, founder and treasurer of the political action committee seeking to replace Austin’s Council-manager form of government with a strong-mayor system, has contributed $25,000 to the committee and loaned it $92,000, according to documents filed with the Austin city clerk’s office. Allison’s mother, brother and wife have contributed an additional $25,000, and old friends, […]
Posted inElections
Campaign contribution limits going up
While candidates for state and federal offices have been gearing up to run in the March 2020 primary, likely City Council candidates have also been considering whether to run in next November’s election. In fact, candidates for Council have been able to start collecting campaign donations since Nov. 4. Austin voters approved new campaign finance […]
Posted inElections
Austinites may soon be able to directly support candidates through voucher donations
When it comes to political campaigning, it’s no secret that Austin has funding inequalities. Some fear these funding inequalities have fostered a lack of engagement among voters that has helped lead to the city’s notorious low turnout at the polls. Responding to the statistics, City Council charged the Charter Review Commission with determining the most […]