In the last three weeks of August, King County Executive candidate Democrat Dow Constantine has significantly outraised his opponent, "nonpartisan" Susan Hutchison—a reversal from the numbers prior to the August 18 primary. (For the record: Hutchison’s claim that she’s "nonpartisan" contradicts her well-documented and consistent history of donating to the Republican Party and to GOP candidates.)
Since the primary, Constantine has raised just under $64,000 to Hutchison’s $18,000. That puts Hutchison’s weekly average, post-primary, at around $5,900, to Constantine’s $21,000. However, Constantine ended the primary in debt—about $21,000—while Hutchison came out of the election with about $120,000 in the bank.
The day after the election, Hutchison’s campaign manager Jordan McCarren sent a letter to Hutchison’s supporter list—titled "Susan Wins by Landslide"—asking for contributions. Citing what was then a 15-point lead over Constantine, the letter said Hutchison needed to raise $500,000 by September 30.
Since then, however, Hutchison’s lead has slipped dramatically, to just 6 percent (with 33 percent to Constantine’s 27 percent). That somewhat lackluster showing could make donors reluctant to give big in the general election; I have a call in to McCarren to ask how confident the campaign is that they can meet that goal.
