Keough, Scott lead in campaign contributions
SANDPOINT — Legislative candidates are amassing small fortunes in their bids to obtain or retain office as the Nov. 4 general election draws nearer.
Incumbent District 1 state Sen. Shawn Keough is leading all candidates in the fundraising effort, according to campaign financial disclosure reports filed with the Idaho Secretary of State.
Keough, a Republican from Kootenai, has gathered $68,732, which includes $25,705 she had on hand at the start of the year. Her year-to-date expenditures totaled $45,638 through Sept. 30.
Keough’s biggest donors include Rep. Eric Anderson and Rep. George Eskridge, who gave the campaign $2,000 and $1,500, respectively. The Senate Republican Political Action Committee of Idaho and the Idaho Power Co. have each donated $1,500.
Clearwater Paper Co. and BNSF Railway each donated $1,000 to Keough’s re-election bid.
Keough’s challenger, Bonners Ferry Constitution party candidate Christian Fioravanti, raised $13,100 since the beginning of the year, according to disclosure reports.
Kootenai resident Betty Kinne donated $1,500 to Fioravanti’s campaign, making her the largest single contributor. Bonners Ferry resident and Tea Party figure Pam Stout gave $660. Other contributors include Bonner County EMS Chief Bob Bussey and Elizabeth Pecukonis.
Heather Scott, who won the GOP nomination for the House of Representatives’ 1A seat in May, has raised $33,671 in her hunt for office. Scott has spent $36,015 during her run.
Scott’s largest single contributor was the Bonner County Republican Central Committee, which donated $750. The House Republican Caucus and the Idaho Hospitality & Sports PAC each contributed $500. Scott’s largest private contributor was Paul Pecukonis, who gave her campaign $700.
Scott’s Democratic competitor, Laura Bry, has raised $9,885 and spent $6,523, disclosure records indicate.
Bry’s biggest single contributor was the Boundary County Democratic Committee, which donated $550. Other benefactors include Genevieve Kearns-Campbell, Molly O’Reilly and Steve Lockwood, each of whom donated $500 to her campaign.
Sage Dixon, a Republican who clinched the House 1B nomination from Eskridge in the primary, has collected $17,676 and spent $13,394 through Sept. 30.
Dixon’s biggest supporters so far are Veronica Dixon and the Bonner County Republican Central Committee, which donated $1,000 and $750, respectively. The House Republican Caucus, Carl Stout, and the Winning For Idaho and Idaho Hospitality & Sports PACs each contributed $500 to Dixon’s campaign.
Andrew Sorg, a Sandpoint Democrat running against Dixon, took in $8,872 and has so far spent $3,317. He garnered $500 donations from Steve Lockwood, M2 Construction and Dave and Marilyn Hussy.
Incumbent Republican District 7 Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll has raised $6,150 and spent $4,764 during her re-election run. Her competitor, Democrat Casey Drews, did not file disclosure forms for the current reporting period, according to the secretary of state.
Incumbent Republican House 7A Rep. Shannon McMillan raised $10,267 and spent $8,160 this year. Sagle Democrat Jessica Chilcott, McMillan’s challenger, has taken in $4,485, which includes donations from the Idaho County Democratic Party ($1,250) and Gil Beyer ($300).
Paul Shepherd, the incumbent Republican 7B representative, raised $4,650 this year. Democrat Kenneth Murray Meyers did not file disclosure forms for this period.