SPOKANE, Wash. — Before any votes have been tallied, there's already a clear winner when it comes to fundraising in Spokane's mayoral race.
Incumbent Nadine Woodward has raised nearly $420,000, more than any other mayoral candidate in city history. According to Washington's Public Disclosure Commission (PDC), Woodward edged out the $395,000 raised by David Condon when he won the seat in 2015.
"In almost every election the people who have more money are more likely to win," said Blaine Garvin, a political science professor at Gonzaga.
For 2023, the next nearest contender in terms of funding is Lisa Brown, who has raised around $270,000. Tim Archer has pulled in just over $29,000, most of it self-funded. Other mayoral candidate contributions listed on the PDC site sit at zero.
Garvin says while historically, those who raise the most win the most, it may not be for the reason you think. He explains people back candidates they feel are likely to win, including financial backing.
And money also helps with another huge factor in winning elections: recognizability.
"Obviously it really helps a candidate to raise more money," Garvin said. "That enables you to buy more advertising."
Candidates who are more familiar to voters are often elected and are also often ones who raise more money. More donations can signal to voters or certain groups a candidate is a likely winner.
Garvin also points to who is funding a candidate, which can also play into the politics.
While Brown has raised more than $208,000 from individual donors, Woodward's campaign has largely been bankrolled by businesses, real estate groups, and developers.
"The opposition could very well say, I don't know if they will, look, she's in their pocket. Or she's thinking about their interests more than she's thinking about the interests of the ordinary voter," Garvin said.
Though Garvin says money isn't everything and he cautions not to read too much into it. More important is, again, how well known a candidate is, especially if they have a track record voters can get behind.
"Money doesn't buy elections," Garvin said. “When speaker Foley was here in Spokane years ago used to say, 'Money doesn't buy votes. Votes buy money.' In other words how you act in office, what you do and say there either attracts money from a group or it doesn't."
Of course the fundraising isn't over yet. Post-primary, two contenders will still have until November to raise even more.
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