Washington governor election sees $7 million spent ahead of primary
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Candidates for statewide office in Washington are shelling out big money ahead of Tuesday's primary election, with about $7 million spent by the candidates for governor alone in recent weeks.
Why it matters: The top-two primary decides which two candidates in each race will advance to the November election, making it do-or-die for many campaigns.
Yes, but: Even candidates who are almost certain to make it through have been busy writing big checks.
By the numbers: Democrat Bob Ferguson, the state's attorney general, spent about $4.9 million campaigning for governor between June 1 and the end of July. That included about $500,000 of goods and services that were donated to help his campaign.
- Ferguson's spending was more than any other state or local candidate's in Washington during that time, per the state Public Disclosure Commission.
- The best-funded Republican in the race, former U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert, spent about $1.8 million during the same period.
The other top spenders in the governor's race, Democrat Mark Mullet and Republican Semi Bird, spent about $109,000 and $181,000, respectively, in that period.
What they're saying: "It's all about momentum," Heather Weiner, a Democratic political consultant, tells Axios.
- "Both Reichert and Ferguson want to be in the lead coming out of the primary, both for voter perception and donor perception."
Between the lines: Neither candidate wants his intraparty rival to outperform expectations, Alex Hays, a Republican political consultant, tells Axios.
- "People will perceive that as a weakness," Hays says.
- It's also cheaper for the candidates to buy TV ads now versus in the fall, when other campaigns — including for ballot initiatives and the presidential race — will compete for voters' attention, he says.
The big picture: All told, Ferguson had raised about $9 million for his campaign as of Friday. Reichert had raised $4.3 million, Mullet had raised $1.3 million, and Bird had raised about $700,000.
Zoom out: Democrats Manka Dhingra and Nick Brown have each spent more than $1.2 million campaigning to replace Ferguson as attorney general.
- Dhingra, a state senator and former prosecutor, poured $250,000 of her own money into her campaign last month, a step she told Axios was necessary because she couldn't raise money during the legislative session under state law.
- Brown, a former U.S. attorney, wasn't subject to those fundraising restrictions.
Money is also flowing into the race for state public lands commissioner, a job that is open because the current officeholder, Hilary Franz, is running for Congress.
- King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove and former U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler have raised the most money so far.
- But Democratic state Rep. Kevin Van DeWege is benefiting from big third-party PAC spending.
- And Democrat Patrick DePoe, tribal relations director for the state Department of Natural Resources, has a political action committee backed by tribes working to help elect him.
What we're watching: Whether two Republicans will end up facing off this fall for lands commissioner, if the Democrats in the race end up splitting the vote.
- Under Washington's top-two primary system, the two candidates who receive the most votes advance, making intraparty matchups possible.