Is Ted Wheeler Winning the Fundraising Battle Against Charlie Hales?

Monday, September 28, 2015

Brendan Murray, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Charlie Hales

On September 9, Oregon State Treasurer (D) Ted Wheeler took to the podium at Revolution Hall in Portland to declare his candidacy for Mayor of Portland, prompting predictions of a close, and expensive, race against incumbent Mayor Charlie Hales (D). After roughly two weeks as a candidate, Wheeler seems to have taken an advantage over Hales when it comes to fundraising, according to campaign finance records from the Secretary of State’s Office.

Wheeler has been collecting donations and campaign contributions steadily since announcing his candidacy, raking in more than $39,151.00 during his first two weeks as a candidate. He has reported donations of up to $1,000 from more than 65 individual contributors.

Jake Wiegler, a spokesman for the Ted Wheeler campaign, told GoLocal he has received contributions from exactly 100 donors since his announcement speech.

The same cannot be said of Hales. As GoLocal reported earlier, Hales got off to a quick start in fundraising, leaning on contractors and other past donors as he amassed more than $100,000 before Wheeler officially kicked off his campaign. He has only reported one contribution, for $101 from Brian Wilson of Portland, since.

While Hales still holds a sizable lead in terms of total monies raised, his lack of recent donors is most likely intentional but may prove to be a grave mistake, according to Marc Abrams, former chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon.

“If you only collect one donation, you’re not really trying,” Abrams told GoLocal. “Hales is clearly focusing on his work as Mayor, or on other aspects of his campaign, and he thinks he can ramp up his fundraising later, but I would not rest on my laurels against a candidate like Wheeler who has connections in the business community and can afford to donate to himself. I think it’s a big tactical mistake.”

Ted Wheeler

Campaigns Respond

Wiegler said that the campaign has focused on raising as much money as possible to spread their message and prepare for a tight race. He also said that he and the rest of the campaign have been encouraged by the large and diverse donor base Wheeler has cultivated thus far.

“We see this as very positive,” Wiegler said. “We’ve been overwhelmed with the variety of support right at the start of the campaign. We’re seeing donation and support from progressives, business people, really people of all stripes.”

Sarah Bott, a spokeswoman for Charlie Hales, told GoLocal that despite a lack of reporting to the Secretary of State, Hales’ campaign has been working to raise money. She declined to specify a dollar amount Hales had raised or the number of donors that had contributed to his campaign, citing campaign finance laws that give candidates 30 days to report any contributions.

“We have raised money,” Bott said. “We’re in the middle of a 30-day reporting cycle, and we will report our fundraising in an appropriate way before that time expires.”

Wheeler Has "a Playbook”

Abrams said he has anticipated an expensive and hard-fought campaign ever since Wheeler first made his announcement. He also said that he was not surprised that Wheeler, running against a sitting mayor in Hales, would make fundraising a top priority.

“Wheeler wants to build an image that he’s coming on strong against a fairly popular incumbent,” Abrams said, noting that Wheeler’s first political victory came against another incumbent, Diane Linn, in the race for Multnomah County Chair. “He’s got a playbook for this, and he knows what he wants to do.”

Abrams also said that he expected Wheeler to take advantage of Hales’ current inactivity, and look to raise money quickly. “The fundraising machine really doesn’t stop once it gets started,” he said. “It just keeps eating up everything it can, so he's going to keep going and keep raising money.”

A Marathon, Not A Sprint

Ellen Seljan, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Lewis and Clark College, told GoLocal that often, incumbent candidates like Hales will focus on gathering donors before another candidate even announces. This allows them to focus on governing and campaigning when an opponent does throw their hat in the ring.

Seljan also that while Wheeler’s initial burst of fundraising success is impressive, his campaign may hit a rough patch after the initial wave of support has worn out.

“There’s still a very long time to go before the election,” Seljan said. “We don’t know if Hales is just waiting before really getting his fundraising going, or if Wheeler’s support will dry up.”

Abrams, former chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon, also said that at some point, Hales will have to raise money for his campaign. Whether his current slow fundraising pace does serious damage to his re-election campaign will depend on when that fundraising effort truly begins.

“If he reverses his course pretty quick and starts raising a lot of money next month, then I don’t really think it’s a concern,” Abrams said. “No harm, no foul, as the election is still a fairly long time away. If he waits until the earlier part of next year to get his fundraising into gear, however, I think that could really hurt him.”

Related Slideshow: SLIDESHOW: Ted Wheeler Announces Portland Mayoral Candidacy on Rooftop of Revolution Hall

Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler was joined by the press and many close friends, family members, and supporters on the rooftop of Revolution Hall off of SE Stark so that he could officially make his candidacy announcement for Portland mayor in the 2016 mayoral race.

Is Ted Wheeler Winning the Fundraising Battle Against Charlie Hales?

Ted Wheeler Campaigns Respond

Wheeler Has "a Playbook”

A Marathon, Not A Sprint

Related Slideshow: SLIDESHOW: Ted Wheeler Announces Portland Mayoral Candidacy on Rooftop of Revolution Hall

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Ted Wheeler

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