Editor’s note: This story was updated at 2:37 p.m. June 21 to reflect the most recent campaign finance report data available for County Council District 5 candidate Fatmata Barrie.
In the packed race for County Council District 5, two candidates are outpacing their rivals in building a formidable campaign war chest: One through private donations and the other by drawing six-figures in public financing.
New campaign finance reports show community organizer Kristin Mink has the largest cash balance in the eight-way Democratic primary race, reporting that she had nearly $126,000 at her command as of June 7. Just behind her was Jeremiah Pope, founder of a political consulting firm, with roughly $109,000 in the bank.
Pope raised more than $20,000 from about 100 private donations from Jan. 13 to June 7, according to his report. Many of the contributions were larger than $100 and some topped $1,000.
On the other hand, Mink drew most of her money from the county’s four-year-old public financing system. Of the $142,500 she raised since Jan. 13, about $107,800 came from the county, her disclosure shows.
The county’s public financing system rewards candidates who collect a large number of small contributions, providing the highest dollar-match for the first $50 donated to a campaign by a Montgomery County resident.
Many of the District 5 candidates in the Democratic primary are looking to tap into the public system, with Brian Anleu, Fatmata Barrie, Daniel Amara Koroma and Cary Lamari also seeking these funds.
Anleu, chief of staff for the Montgomery County Planning Board, has the third-largest bank balance in the race, reporting about $50,200 in cash on hand. He raised about $18,400 since mid-January, disclosing that about $4,100 of that amount came from public financing. He’s received more than $42,000 in public money during the race so far.
Highlights from the other candidates’ reports:
• Barrie, an immigration and special education attorney, reported having a bank balance of roughly $24,600 at the close of the reporting period, with receipts of about $8,300. Her forms also show she has received more than $47,000 in public financing during the race.
• Koroma, who was community engagement liaison for former County Executive Ike Leggett, posted a cash balance of about $6,900. He has raised about $14,100 since mid-January, all in private donations. Koroma filed a form indicating he’s pursuing public financing, although some of his individual contributions are above the $250-limit for candidates participating in the county’s public funding system.
• Lamari, former president of the Montgomery County Civic Federation, had about $3,600 in the bank. He raised $3,350 in private donations since mid-January and loaned himself another $1,000.
• William “Chip” Montier, a community advocate, posted a bank balance of about $300. He raised $2,760 since mid-January, about $1,100 in contributions and the rest in personal loans to his own campaign.
Christopher Bolton — the last of the eight Democratic candidates and former chair of the East County Citizens Advisory Board — filed an affidavit declaring that he wouldn’t raise or spend more than $1,000 over the reporting period. Kate Woody, the lone Republican candidate in the running, also submitted one of these forms.
The candidates are competing to represent a district recently redrawn to reflect new population data from the 2020 U.S. Census. The reconfigured boundaries encompass communities such as Burtonsville, White Oak, Four Corners and Colesville. The primary is July 19.
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Council District 6
In terms of campaign cash, a former state delegate and a former member of the Montgomery County Planning Board are leading the pack in the council District 6 primary.
Maricé Morales, an attorney and former Maryland lawmaker, reported she had about $83,000 in the bank as of June 7, while former planning board member Natali Fani Gonzalez posted a balance of about $75,0000.
Both Morales and Fani Gonzalez are participating in public financing, receiving $63,700 and $71,500 respectively so far in the race.
The two Democrats are running against six others in the primary for District 6, which encompasses Wheaton, Glenmont, Forest Glen and Aspen Hill.
Highlights from the other candidates’ reports:
• Omar Lazo, co-owner of Los Chorros Restaurant in Wheaton, disclosed that he had nearly $37,000 in the bank. He has received nearly $45,000 in public financing in the race so far.
• Steve Solomon, a radio host, reported he had a bank balance of $2,800.
• It did not appear that candidates Christa Tichy or Mark Trullinger had filed new reports this week, according to the state elections website.
• Democratic candidates Vicki S. Vergagni and Brit Siman-Tov both filed affidavits attesting that they wouldn’t raise or spend more than $1,000 during the reporting period.
• Viet H. Doan, the lone Republican in the race, reported a bank balance of about $1,400.
Council District 7
Dawn Luedtke, an assistant attorney general for Maryland, reported the largest bank balance among Democrats in the council District 7 race, with more than $43,500 stored away.
She was closely followed by Jacqueline Manger — a senior official at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business — who had about $40,000 in the bank, according to the campaign finance reports due Tuesday. Manger has loaned her campaign $35,000 since March, the report shows.
Neither candidate is seeking public financing through the county system.
They are competing against five other candidates for the Democratic nomination in District 7, which covers communities including Derwood, Olney, Laytonsville, Montgomery Village and Damascus.
Highlights from the other candidates’ reports:
• Real estate agent Andrew Einsmann reported a bank balance of nearly $31,000 as of June 7. He is participating in public financing and has received about $30,000 from the county during the race.
• Ben Wikner, a local pastor and community organizer, has about $30,600 in the bank. He’s received more than $44,000 through the county’s public financing system during the contest so far.
• Sharif Hidayat, a former Montgomery County police officer, disclosed that he had a bank balance of about $15,600 by June 7. He has applied for public funds but hadn’t yet received any as of the end of May.
• Paul Geller, past president of the Montgomery County Council of PTAs, posted a bank balance of about $11,300.
• Paul Schwartz, an advocate and former senior federal government official, reported a bank balance of about $2,400.
• Harold C. Maldonado, the only Republican in contention, reported having about $1,600 in the bank.
Bethany Rodgers is a freelance writer who formerly covered schools and development for Bethesda Beat.