The two remaining candidates in the Kenai Peninsula Borough mayoral election, Linda Farnsworth-Hutchings and Charlie Pierce, managed to raise just about the same amount of money in their campaigns in the run up to last week's municipal election.
According to Alaska Public Offices Commission figures, the amount of money raised this campaign year for the Kenai Peninsula Borough mayoral race by the two candidates who will be engaged in a run-off later this month were within about $150 of each other.
Linda Farnsworth-Hutchings raised $32,667.58, while Charlie Pierce took in $32,507.37.
Pierce's largest single contribution came from himself in the sum of $5,000.
Farnsworth-Hutchings gave $264.26 in cash and the equivalent of $300 in non-monetary contributions for paper, envelopes and printing to her own campaign. Her largest single campaign contribution came from the NEA-Alaska Political Action Committee on Education; it was $1,000.
As for PAC contributions to Pierce, the Alaska Communications System Employee PAC gave $300, as did the Enstar Employee PAC. Pierce worked for Enstar for 39 years in both Anchorage and Kenai.
Farnsworth-Hutchings also received $500 from the Midnight Sun Republican Women PAC and another $500 from the Kenai Peninsula Republican Women.
Beyond the sizable contribution to his own campaign, Pierce took in 26 donations of $500, including one from himself.
Farnsworth-Hutchings received 32 donations of $500, which includes the two republican women PACs' contributions.
While Farnsworth-Hutchings and Pierce did not share contributions from the same Political Action Committees, at least one local businessman, Michael Sweeney, was covering his bases, with $200 donations to both of them, and third-place candidate Dale Bagley.
As far as support from other candidates go, Pierce received $200 from Duane Bannock, a candidate for assembly from Kenai, and $500 from Fred Sturman, who ran unsuccessfully for borough mayor in 2011.
Farnsworth-Hutchings got a $300 contribution from State House Rep. Gary Knopp of Soldotna, and $100 from State House Rep. Chuck Kopp of Anchorage, both republicans. Also, former republican Governor Sean Parnell donated $500 to her. Farnsworth-Hutchings also received $500 from out-going mayor Mike Navarre, and same from his brother, Kenai City Councilman Tim Navarre.
