Fundraising For D.C. Council Candidates Going Strong

The latest campaign finance reports are in for the candidates running for D.C. Council this November.

Acting Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who is running to permanently fill the seat following the resignation of Kwame Brown, is showing no signs of trouble raising money.

The Aug. 10 filing reports show Mendelson raised more than $30,000 on Aug. 9 — labor unions, law firms, and the parking garage companies made up the lion's share of the donations — a huge haul for a single day of fundraising. And the race to fill the two at-large council seats, at least from a fundraising standpoint, is shaping up to be competitive.

Challenger David Grosso, who is running as an independent, posted a strong Aug. 10 campaign finance report, showing more than $55,000, cash on hand. Those fundraising figures compare favorably to Democratic incumbent Vincent Orange, who, according to his filing, has approximately $9,000 in the bank.

The campaign for Republican Mary Brooks Beatty, meanwhile, says she has $22,000 in cash on hand.

Gauging the other incumbent, Independent Council member Michael Brown, is proving to be more difficult. That' s because Brown says his campaign bank account is missing a substantial amount of money. The council member discovered the alleged embezzlement of funds earlier this summer.

Brown says both the police and the campaign finance office are investigating. In the meantime, he has been told to not file any campaign finance reports.

A Brown campaign spokesperson says the candidate raised about $30,000, but did not release how much money was spent, or more importantly, how much money is missing.