Democratic Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla outraised two more-established Republican candidates in first-quarter fundraising for the 2nd Congressional District.
De La Isla reported raising $337,761, which is almost three times as much as Republican incumbent Steve Watkins raised in the first quarter, new campaign finance reports show.
Watkins, who has been battling questions about his residency and third-party contributions funded by his father, raised $122,899 during the quarter. Kansas Treasurer Jake LaTurner’s fundraising dropped off in the first quarter to $42,859.
However, LaTurner shut down his fundraising in mid-March because he didn’t want to raise money during a time when thousands of Kansans were losing their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic that has shuttered businesses.
LaTurner has been among a number of candidates — Republican and Democrat alike — who have struggled internally with how to raise money when the economy is faltering.
“Jake understands that Kansans are dealing with serious health and economic issues right now,” spokeswoman Kara Zeyer told the Sunflower State Journal recently.
“Over the past several weeks, we have not asked Kansans for anything,” she said. “We are merely doing what most Kansans are doing, trying to do more with less.”
De La Isla, meanwhile, has had support from former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who sent out a fundraising email on behalf of the congressional candidate.
“These are not ordinary times and this isn’t an ordinary request,” Sebelius said in the March 25 fundraising email.
“As we face a very serious health and economic crisis in the US, the need for competent, caring and hard-working individuals to serve in our government is more important than ever.”
Watkins goes into the heart of primary season with $437,819 in the bank, compared to LaTurner, who has $571,647 still on hand despite a falloff in fundraising in the first quarter.
De La Isla, meanwhile, has $266,930 on hand.
