Portland’s clean elections candidates continue to out-raise opponents

Portland’s first clean elections candidates for mayor have continued to raise and spend significantly more money than those running traditionally financed campaigns.

The two mayoral candidates who are using the new program – Justin Costa and Andrew Zarro – to date have raised $62,473 and $84,373 respectively, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Of the candidates using traditional financing, Pious Ali and Mark Dion have raised under $30,000 each.

Combined, all five candidates have taken in more than $207,000.

That is still far below the record set during the 2019 mayoral election when three of the four candidates had taken in a combined total of nearly $360,000 by the end of October. Kate Snyder, who was elected that year, had raised $85,300 by that time. Ethan Strimling, who was running for a second term, had raised $161,725.

In-person absentee voting in the city ended Thursday. Absentee ballots must be returned to City Hall by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 7. The city has set up 24-hour drop boxes at City Hall next to the Myrtle Street entrance and at the Public Works Building on Canco Road.

As of Thursday, the city reported that 3,670 of the 6,766 absentee ballots issued have been returned to City Hall.

The clean elections program allows candidates to receive funding from the city to support their campaigns, rather than soliciting individual donations. The idea is to make it possible for regular people – those who work busy jobs and are new to politics – to fund campaigns, and to move candidates away from seeking funding from special interest groups and a small number of wealthy donors.

It was just this spring that the Portland City Council approved a clean elections ordinance that mirrors the state program.

Costa has received $59,873 from the city, while Zarro received $79,873. The rest of their fundraising comes from seed donations required to qualify for the clean elections program. Of that money, Costa has spent $56,072, mostly on mailers, yard signs, and ads. Zarro has spent $70,143, largely on campaign events, yard signs, and mailers.

Of the candidates using traditional financing, Pious Ali has raised $29,676, including about $8,300 from the Pious for Council group. His donations during the most recent period running from Sept. 20 to Oct. 24 mostly came from individual Maine donors ranging from less than $50 to $500 each. He has spent $18,655 on yard signs, flyers, food for campaign events, and other routine expenses.

Political newcomer Dylan Pugh has raised $1,133 to date and spent $1,089. He raised money from family members and friends as well as individuals who contributed $50 or less. Pugh spent that money mostly on yard signs and mailers.

Mark Dion has raised $29,543 to date. He transferred $1,000 from a previous campaign and contributed $1,000 himself and collected the rest mostly from individual Maine donors who made contributions ranging from less than $50 to $500 each. Dion has spent $27,215 to date, mostly on ads, mailers, and yard signs.

George Rheault, who is running for mayor as a write-in candidate, has donated $2,674 to his campaign and has taken in no other donations. He spent all of that money on palm cards, mailers, flyers, and yard signs.

CITY COUNCIL AND SCHOOL BOARD RACES

The fundraising gap is smaller in the three City Council races on the ballot this fall, where more than half of the candidates qualified for clean elections funding. At-large City Council candidates can receive $10,000 in initial funding and then qualify for an additional $30,000. District council candidates can get $4,000, then $12,000.

In the at-large race, both April Fournier and Bill Linell are using clean elections funding. To date, Fournier has raised $10,399, and Linnell has raised $24,002. The candidates have spent $8,303 and $9,219, respectively.

In the District 4 race, Anna Bullett is using clean election funding and has received $6,466 from the city, while her opponent Sam Cady, who is running a traditionally financed campaign, has raised $7,345. Theirs is the only race in which a traditionally financed candidate has raised more than a clean elections candidate.

In the District 5 race, Kate Sykes has received $11,998 from the city while her opponent, Matt Buonopane, who is not using the clean elections program, has raised $4,155.

In the only contested school board race, at-large candidate Usira Ali is running a traditionally financed campaign and has raised $2,236 in individual donations. Austin Sims, a clean elections candidate, has received $4,980 from the city.

REFERENDUMS

In addition to the mayoral, City Council, and school board races there are three city referendums on the ballot.

Question A asks voters whether they would like to amend the city’s current rent control ordinance to exempt landlords with nine or fewer units.

Unlike other recent elections, the citizen-initiated referendum on rent control has not garnered a significant amount of spending.

None of the ballot question committees that were formed this year or carried over from previous campaigns have reported any significant fundraising efforts, if any.

The city has also placed two other referendums on the ballot.

Question B asks voters if they support changing the city charter to use gender-neutral language. Question C allows candidates running for public office to take out nomination paperwork earlier so the timeline lines up with the new clean elections program.