When it comes to campaign money, Sheriff Kevin Walsh faces no competition from his four challengers in the Onondaga County sheriff’s race.
As of early April, Walsh — a Republican — has more than 28 times the amount of campaign dollars raised by his closest challenger. The only challenger who has money to spend is Deputy Toby Shelley of Marietta.
Robert McClure is a political scientist at Syracuse University. He says that this probably means voters don’t think there’s a need for change.
“If there were a whole bunch of people who thought that, the challengers would have money.” (Robert McClure, political pcientist at Syracuse University)
In the 2010 election this coming November, Walsh is running for his 5th consecutive term as Onondaga County sheriff. His challengers are fellow Republican Ed Bragg of Camillus and three Democrats — Joe Price of Baldwinsville, Toby Shelley of Marietta and Philip Benedict of Jamesville. Bragg, Price and Shelley are all deputies. Benedict is a former deputy who now works at Syracuse University as a maintenance supervisor.
This is the first time that Walsh is facing a fellow Republican. In the past four general elections, he has defeated Democrats and ran unopposed once.
Two of the challengers, Benedict, a Democrat, and Bragg, a Republican, have not reported raising any money yet, according to the state database.
In 2006, Price, a Democrat, raised $2,280 in an unsuccessful challenge to Walsh. But, he spent $3,110 in that same year, which puts him in the red for this election.
Shelley, a Democrat, has raised $1,600. That money came from eight individual donors.
For Walsh, his campaign finance report filed in January shows this picture:
- Since 2006, Walsh has raised $99,134.
- 33 percent — or $32,725 — came from named individuals. The rest came from donors whose contributions are small enough that they don’t have to be itemized, and from political action committees, unions or businesses.
- Walsh has spent just under half of his fundraising — that’s about $53,750.
- This leaves $45,383 for this upcoming election.
Over his years in office, the finance reports show that Walsh has built a core of repeat donors. Since the start of 2006, Walsh received donations from 129 named individuals. Of individual donors, 39 percent—or 50 contributors— gave money to him year after year.
That’s a typical pattern for a longtime incumbent, says SU political scientist, Bob McClure.
“Your best donor is the person who has already given. And that’s why, if have given any money to a candidate, soon after you’ve given it, you get another request!” (Robert McClure, political scientist at Syracuse University)
The primaries are Sept. 2, 2010. The general election is Sept. 14, 2010.
For Democracywise, I’m Noel Aliseo reporting.
(Noel Aliseo is a senior broadcast journalism and Spanish major.)
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