Nashville is in the throes of early voting, and, with 11 candidates running for mayor, it’s still anyone’s race. But, some candidates may have more gas left in the tank than others — at least as far as finances go.
The campaign fundraising totals released earlier this month allow for a glimpse into the efforts of candidates as Election Day inches closer. Voters are likely seeing campaign signs scattered across yards, flyers spilling out of mailboxes and the sounds of mayoral TV ads consuming commercial breaks.
Candidates have tried to get creative with those ads — from showcasing their musical talents to staging football games.
Six candidates have spent thousands of dollars airing ads on WSMV and News Channel 5. But, of those still in the race, Matt Wiltshire and Jeff Yarbro have led on on this type of spending. In roughly the last month, each booked about 80 ads on News Channel 5 alone.
And that’s not the last of their efforts — both have some of the largest remaining war chests. Yarbro’s remaining balance on hand was $509,848 and Wiltshire’s was at $491,176. Freddie O’Connell is with $419,901 left to spend.
For Wiltshire, this isn’t surprising. He’s led fundraising totals since he launched his campaign last year. (Of note, he has loaned his campaign nearly $350,000, which is more than any other remaining candidate.)
In fact, a number of candidates — Fran Bush, Heidi Campbell, Bernie Cox, Sharon Hurt, Freddie O’Connell and Vivian Wilhoite — made no personal loans.
And, spending power isn’t everything. Jim Gingrich led a multi-million-dollar campaign. Yet, he bowed out after the start of early voting, citing “electoral data.”
With the Aug. 3 election less than two weeks away, candidates are still fundraising — but the totals from their final sprints won’t be immediately disclosed.
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