Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones
Mayor Nancy Denson spent nearly $90,000 to win re-election—more than $10 per vote won.
Candidates recently filed campaign finance reports for the Apr. 1–June 30 reporting period.
Denson all but stopped fundraising after March, in keeping with campaign manager Houston Gaines’ statement that her massive early haul was intended to scare away any viable challengers.
She raised just $8,575 in cash in April and May, giving her a total of $93,509. Notable contributors included the Georgia Association of Realtors, which kicked in $1,000, and Georgia Theatre owner Wilmot Greene, who donated $500 worth of advertising.
Denson spent all but $5,700 of her war chest, the majority of it in the last six weeks of the campaign. The $67,000 she spent between Apr. 1–May 20 included about $26,000 on direct mail, $24,000 on radio advertising and $4,000 on billboard rental. Gaines was awarded a $2,000 bonus.
Challenger Tim Denson nearly matched Nancy dollar-for-dollar in April and May, raising $6,907 for the period, but ended up with a mere $17,108 to spend due to lackluster fundraising earlier in the campaign. His backers included the 40 Watt Club and R.E.M.’s Mike Mills.
The fundraising gap meant Tim was able to spend just a sixth of what Nancy did on advertising—radio and cable ads, yard signs and campaign literature—in the home stretch.
Denson won 60 percent of 13,152 votes cast May 20.
Campaign disclosure reports are available here.
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