In slow campaign period, Gore leads Fudge in fundraising

James Gore continues to lead in fundraising for the 4th District Sonoma County supervisor seat, raising $244,000 to date, compared to rival Deb Fudge’s total of $187,000.

The latest campaign finance statements show that in the six-week period ending June 30, Gore raised almost $42,000, compared to Fudge’s $18,000.

The amounts are significantly less than what each candidate collected in the run-up to the June 3 primary, reflecting a respite in fundraising activity after the election.

On Thursday, both Gore and Fudge said they gave their donors a breather, but expect to put out the call for more contributions as they head toward a runoff in November.

“We wanted to give everyone a break on the fundraising routine,” Gore said.

“I’m just starting to raise money again,” Fudge said. “I gave my donors a month off before I asked them for more money again.”

Fudge, a longtime Windsor Town Council member who has served five times as mayor, is making her third bid for the North County supervisor seat after losing two previous tries in 2006 and 2010.

Gore, a former assistant chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service, is making his first run at elected office.

They seek to replace outgoing Supervisor Mike McGuire, who is running for state Senate.

In June, Fudge clinched first place and Gore came in second in the field of five candidates vying to represent a district stretching from northwest Santa Rosa to the Mendocino County line.

The endorsements have followed a typical divide, with Fudge gaining the backing of environmental and public employee unions and Gore getting the nod from the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, business groups and the construction industry.

The California Real Estate political action committee was Gore’s biggest contributor in the latest reporting period, donating $5,500.

Some of his other big contributors, who gave $2,750 apiece for the period that just ended, included Associated Builders and Contractors Northern California Chapter; Sonoma County Alliance; Susan Syar of Syar Industries; Barbara Grasseschi of Puma Springs Vineyards; and Eric Koenigshofer, an Occidental attorney and former county supervisor.

Gore also received $2,500 apiece from PG&E and Fred Biagi Jr., president of Biagi Brothers; and $2,000 from the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce.

Fudge’s biggest contributors included $2,750 from the Sonoma County Democratic Party Central Committee; $2,500 from developer Dennis Hunter, chairman of the Ygrene Energy Fund; $2,500 from Healdsburg investor Ben VanZutphen; $2,000 from the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council; and $1,000 from PG&E.

The major expenditures for the candidates involved campaign literature, mailings and consultant fees.

Fudge prides herself on her “thrifty campaign” and the “470 distinct donors” that contributed.

“A lot of my money is in small amounts from many, many people,” she said. “I have a lot of $50 donors. People give me what they could.”

Gore noted that above and beyond what Fudge has raised for her own campaign, she also benefited from a previously reported independent expenditure from the union-backed Coalition for a Better Sonoma County.

The organization raised almost $41,000 to support her with their own voter outreach and election materials.

Fudge’s campaign showed an ending cash balance of $7,700 through June 30 and no debt.

Gore had $5,500 on hand on June 30 and outstanding debt of $29,530.

“We basically spent everything we had to keep the campaign going and keep things moving along,” he said.

“We are back to full court press” and “doing great on fundraising,” he added.