Already leading in the polls, state Senate President Donna Mercado Kim is outpacing her opponents in Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District House race in fundraising as well.
Kim’s campaign reported collecting $251,642 from Jan. 1 to March 31, according to a quarterly campaign financing report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday. Overall, the veteran lawmaker collected $582,775 in the campaign she began in November.
The Kim campaign has $39,200 in disbursements during the reporting period, chief among them $2,181 a month for renting a headquarters and $23,000 for Washington-based Hart Research Associates for political polling and consulting. The campaign reported $47,882 in total disbursements.
A Hawaii Poll conducted in February by Honolulu-based Ward Research for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now showed Kim would win by 10 percentage points over state Rep. Mark Takai, the second top finisher. Honolulu City Council members Stanley Chang and Ikaika Anderson were both about 11 percentage points behind Takai, according to the Hawaii Poll.
Tuesday’s campaign financing reports showed Chang just behind Kim in fundraising with Takai closing in. Chang reported total receipts of $557,748, with $122,299 collected during the first three months of 2014. Chang spent the most overall and during the period, reporting $226,536 and $116,544 in disbursements, respectively. About $48,000 was spent on work by Bishop Street firm Anthology Marketing Group while about $32,000 was disbursed to Honolulu-based Solutions Pacific LLC, primarily for "fundraising and communications consulting."
Takai finished second in fundraising during the first three months of 2014, reporting $227,203 in receipts. Overall, he has collected the third most to date, reporting $453,919 collected.
Takai’s campaign has spent $83,056 during the first three months of 2014, and $131,892 overall. Among his disbursements were $20,000 to the Washington consulting firm of Normington, Petts and Associates for "polling and campaign strategy" and salary and health care for several campaign staff.
Anderson’s campaign has spent the second most on the race, with a reported $214,702 in total disbursements, $92,729 from January through March. Anderson’s campaign reported $349,528 in overall receipts, $78,947 during the first three months of 2014.
City Councilman Joey Manahan, who announced he was running for the seat in mid-February, reported receipts of $41,547 and $8,925.48 in expenditures.
Community activist Kathryn Xian is far behind in fundraising. Her campaign reported total receipts of $10,482, $6,237 in the first quarter of 2014. She reported $4,915 in disbursements, $2,076 from January to March.
State Sen. Will Espero’s quarterly report was not online as of press time Tuesday night. Tuesday was the deadline to file.
Former U.S. Rep. Charles Djou announced on April 3 that he is also running for the office he once held. Because his announcement came after the quarter ended, Djou did not have to file a first-quarter report. However, Djou issued a statement on April 7 declaring that his campaign committee had raised $100,000 in its first 100 hours.
The February Hawaii Poll did not include Manahan or Djou.
The 1st Congressional District seat, which includes all of Honolulu and much of the rest of Oahu, is currently held by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. Hanabusa, who was elected two years ago, is forgoing a re-election bid to contest Sen. Brian Schatz’s attempt to fill the remaining two years of the late Sen. Daniel Inouye’s term.
Schatz was appointed to the post after Inouye’s death in 2012. Hanabusa has held the House seat since winning election in 2010.
The deadline to file as a candidate is June 3. Primary election day in Hawaii is Aug. 9, and the general election will be held on Nov. 4.
