The 2022 Manteca’s mayor race is going down in the history books for record extremes when it comes to campaign funding.
Gary Singh, since Sept. 25 when the last state-mandated mandated campaign filing was required, has amassed another $24,641 in contributions to put him at $149,945. It means Singh has now shattered the previous Manteca fundraising mark he set just over a month ago.
And while his fundraising so far in the current race is twice that raised for any other candidate in previous city elections, he isn’t the only record setter.
Lei Ann Larson has loaned her mayoral campaign $9,219.75 so far from her own pocket.
That’s more than triple the previous mark of a candidate running for office in Manteca has gone into personal debt.
State law allows candidates to be paid off from future campaign donations before and even after the election.
That may be an uphill struggle for Larson given in the latest reporting period she collected $960. Meanwhile her opponents collected significantly more in donations. Singh added $24,641 and Ben Cantu picked up $7,524.
Larson as of Oct. 22 had $3,959 left in her campaign treasury compared to $3,141 for Cantu, and $77,825 for Singh.
As of Oct. 22, Singh has raised $149,9545, Larson $14,744, and Cantu $14,020.
Singh’s $149,945 includes a $25,000 carryover from his successful 2018 campaign.
The bulk of his donations are from small business people and independent truckers. Third and fourth tier donors are farmers followed by developers. Overall, the $124,9450 that wasn’t a carryover has come from more than 300 different people.
It’s a complete 180-degree turn from elections in 2016 and earlier when developers were the top donors followed by farmers and then trucking firms/independent truckers and small business owners.
Singh’s expenditures includes $6,000 his campaign has donated to non-profits such as the Manteca Police K-9 Officers Association, the Sierra High Boosters, Give Every Child a Chance, Better World Rescue (that works with the Manteca Animal Shelter), Agape Villages (foster family agency), and HOPE Family Shelter.
The amount of money raised and spent has an impact on how successful a candidate in Manteca elections. However, there have been a number of times when candidates that raise and spend more money end up losing.
The last time that happened was in the 2018 election when Steve DeBrum raised and spent almost twice as much as Cantu — $59,261 versus $30,335 – and ended up losing.
In the District 4 City Council race, Nancy Watson is only the sixth candidate in the last 30 years to file forms that she intends to collect and spend no more than $2,000.
Opponent Mike Morowit has raised $39,450 as of Oct. 22 and has $13,673 left in his campaign account.
That’s $13,135 more than in his 2014 election when he was first elected to the council when he spent $26,315. Morowit lost his re-election bid in 2018.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
