Boston mayoral fundraising, spending down in May as Kim Janey leads for month, Michelle Wu overall cash

Mayoral fundraising dropped across the board in May as every candidate pulled in less cash than they did the month before.

Acting Mayor Kim Janey led the way in both intake and output, with $162,795 raised and $108,913 spent in the month, according to new data from the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Fundraising.

City Councilor Michelle Wu now has the most cash on hand, with $1,046,998, leapfrogging City Councilor Andrea Campbell, who, now with $1,035,942, remains the only other candidate with more than a million bucks in the bank. Both have been in the race since last September, whereas the others only entered this year when then-Mayor Martin Walsh became President Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Labor.

Wu raised $107,217 and spent $75,637, with most of that dough going toward staff. She also dropped a couple grand on digital ads and $5,000 more on digital consulting, but continues not to employ big-dollar Boston-area consultants.

Campbell raised $116,655 and spent $108,196, making her one of just two of the six major candidates to up spending last month. She paid out for consultants, spreading $35,500 among Castle Point Partners, Anne Lewis Strategies Daylight Public Affairs, Omara Group, Malbay Consulting and Erikson Communication.

City Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George is now third in cash on hand, with $570,543 in the bank after spending $76,501 and taking in $151,025, the second-most for the month behind Janey. As with all the candidates, a big chunk of her spending was on staff and other cash going to printing, but she also paid out $23,500 to Liberty Square Group, LB Strategies and North Point Associates.

State Rep. Jon Santiago fell to fourth in cash on hand, as his monthly haul dipped to $77,523 while sending $57,747 out the door. Santiago now has $517,673 in the bank after his spending included about $18,000 on KC Strategies, Gateway Public Solutions and 3 Street.

Janey ended up at $358,126 cash on hand after the relatively large month of fundraising and spending as compared to the other candidates last month. That’s fifth in the race, after a month in which she tossed nearly $27,000 to Northwind Strategies alone, paying political heavyweight Doug Rubin and his firm to consult on her campaign. She also kicked $7,000 to Peachtree Political Partners and more than $16,000 to Rising Tide Interactive, which is a digital advertising firm.

Former city economic development chief John Barros is last in overall fundraising with $341,828 in his war chest. Barros raised $78,807 and spent $54,726 — making him the only candidate besides Campbell to increase spending month over month, albeit slightly — with the cash very largely going to staff.

There haven’t been big-name third-party polls released lately, but Janey, Wu and Essaibi-George have generally been among the front-runners in what surveys there have been.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3uWVfcS