Slay’s competition show lackluster fundraising results
Watson-Wesley Coleman, left, and Smith
As Mayor Francis Slay kicked-off his canvassing effort with a door-knocking blitz this weekend, his two competitors in the Democratic primary have submitted their latest fundraising numbers.
The results are further proof that, on paper at least, this is shaping up to be a lopsided campaign.
Former Alderman Irene J. Smith is showing $2,500 cash on hand, most of which comes from a $1,600 loan to herself. Attorney Denise Watson-Wesley Coleman loaned herself $1,800, leaving her with $123 currently on the bank.
Slay, meanwhile, has more than $1.5 million in his bank account. On holiday gifts alone– meats and candies — he spent more than $1,475.
Former State Sen. Maida Coleman, who has said she will run as an independent, has a fundraising committee, but has not yet filed any fundraising reports.
This might have something to do with the fact that one is a political novice and the other is a buffoon, while Mayor Slay is an effective and broadly liked leader whom most agree deserves reelection.
PS - If you guys in the city want somebody different, can we trade you Dooley for Slay?
I’d be interested to see the breakdown on how many of Slay’s donors are individual city residents who vote, rather than businesses or residents of other municipalities.
Katherine - While this may be interesting, in reality, it doesn’t matter. Most political campaigns today are too expensive to rely on “ordinary Joe” donors. Those of us who work for a living might dig down deep and drop a hundred bucks in the kitty if we really like a guy. That just isn’t enough for a campaign the size of St. Louis mayor. Slay’s election night victory party will probably cost as much as most people make in a year.
Nick Kasoff,
It doesn’t cost a dollar to vote. Money will not buy you the City of St. Louis. You will be very surprised on March 3rd.
Rebecca - I’ll bet you that dollar I won’t be surprised.
Political novice or stalking horse? Obviously you can’t take either challenger seriously since they have no money and they have no visibility or voice in the media. This looks like a cake walk for the mayor at this point.
You’re right, Nick, regarding the cost of elections. Which is why I’d like to see a campaign reform that includes the provision that a candidate can only accept donations from those who are eligible to vote in the election for which the candidate is running. If we are going to gage a candidate’s viability based on how much money they have given to them, it would at least make that a more accurate gage of the feelings of their own constituents.
The reason it is true that, “The results shows further proof that, on paper at least, this is shaping up to be a lopsided campaign,” is because our local PAPER is in the bag for Slay.
BTW, it should be “the results show” rather than “the results shows”, but please don’t let that stop you from mocking the proofreading of candidates you don’t like.
Irene held a press conference today announcing her plan to strengthen and support our public schools. She also released an analysis of Slay’s campaign fundraising as hostile toward those who believe in public education.
Jake, could you expand upon your analysis here? Could you explain that on August 28, 2008, Missouri’s campaign contribution limits disappeared and Slay reaped the benefits?
Nick, I am sorry to say that Slay is not “broadly” liked. You should reserve the term “broad” to describe a group of people who are not financially beholden to the Slay campaign.