BOISE, Idaho — With the Boise mayoral election heating up, fundraising numbers reveal a heated race between incumbent Mayor Lauren McLean and challenger Mike Masterson. Contributions are coming in from across the country for both campaigns.
A prevalent viewer question: what does the fundraising look like 40 days out from election day?
According to campaign finance records, Mayor McLean has raised $309,971 in 2023, compared to $191,346 for Masterson.
However, since entering the race on March 20, Masterson has almost kept pace, raising $191,346 in the last six months, while McLean brought in $213,451.
In the most recent 30-day period, Masterson slightly outpaced McLean in fundraising, with $17,872 raised to McLean's $17,264.
Both candidates have relied mostly on local Idaho donors, many from the Treasure Valley. McLean has received contributions from 105 cities across 29 states, while Masterson's donations come from 43 cities in 15 states.
An expanded campaign finance picture will be clearer soon. Both candidates will wrap up their September books and are required to report those by October 10.
Tracking all of the finances in Boise and beyond is now easier, thanks to the Secretary of State's office. They unveiled a new campaign finance portal to help bring transparency to fundraising sources more efficiently.
The website dashboard details individual donors and visually maps contributions. This provides unprecedented, accessible insight into the geographic origins of campaign money, something important to voters across races in Idaho.
With a critical fundraising deadline approaching on October 10, updated totals will provide critical data points on the state of the race in the final month.
As election day nears, fundraising could prove a pivotal factor if budgets are deployed for voter outreach and expanded advertising, something both the McLean and Masterson teams appear to be interested in.
For now, McLean retains the upper hand, but Masterson has demonstrated fundraising capability in recent months.
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