Mayor Vincent Gray has more than $710,000 in the three weeks before D.C.’s Democratic mayoral primary, which he will need to ward off recent allegations about illegal fundraising during his last election.
Gray has raised more than $1.1 million since launching his reelection bid in January. Gray spent $327,414 since the start of February, with expenditures that included $23,000 on a polling and mailing list.
The campaign finance reports were filed as Gray faced intense scrutiny Monday, when federal prosecutors alleged that he knew about the shadow campaign which helped finance his 2010 bid. Gray has repeatedly denied knowledge of the shadow campaign and said the allegations were false. Jeffrey Thompson, the businessman who funded the shadow campaign, pled guilty to two conspiracy accounts Monday after funneling more than $2 million in illicit campaign funds to Gray and others over a period of about four years.
Foggy Bottom’s Council member Jack Evans has $457,469 to spend before the primary and has consistently led the candidates in overall spending. He raked in $145,807 this period. Evan’s expenditures included about $6,830 a month on his 14th Street campaign headquarters.
Council member Muriel Bowser, who recently nabbed The Washington Post’s endorsement, has $694,293 left in the bank and has raised about $1.3 million since jumping in the race last March.
Council member Tommy Wells, who has ran without accepting corporate contributions to his campaign, reported raising $57,771 and spent about $160,421 – the smallest amount of the major candidates.
Former State Department official Reta Jo Lewis raised $48,635 this period followed by Vincent Orange – the fourth Council member in the race – who raised $10,000. Busboys and Poets owner Andy Shallal’s campaign finance report was not available online as of Tuesday afternoon.
The candidates will spend the next three weeks attending debates and campaign events across the city before the April 1 primary.