Balukoff has put $3.2 million into his campaign

Oct. 9 Otter Balukoff debate
A.J. Balukoff, left, and Gov. Butch Otter square off in an Oct. 9 debate in Idaho Falls.

A.J. Balukoff has said he’s committed to doing whatever it takes to unseat incumbent Gov. Butch Otter.

And we now know that includes putting more than $3.2 million into the race.

The latest round of campaign finance reports came in Tuesday — a snapshot covering the period from Oct. 1 to Oct. 19. In that time, the businessman, accountant and Boise School Board trustee contributed $995,000 to his campaign, bringing his total contributions for the year past the $2.7 million mark. Since Oct. 19, Balukoff has put an additional $545,000 into the race.

Balukoff has personally accounted for roughly 87 percent of his campaign contributions.

Another Democrat, state Rep. Holli Woodings of Boise, continues to enjoy a fundraising edge in the secretary of state’s race. Her campaign treasury was boosted by another loan to her campaign, in the sum of $100,000. Woodings and state Rep. Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale, are vying to succeed retiring Secretary of State Ben Ysursa.

And in the state superintendent’s race, Idaho Falls Democrat Jana Jones continued to pad her fundraising advantage over Mountain Home Republican Sherri Ybarra.

Here are the thumbnails:

Governor

A.J. Balukoff, Democrat.

Contributions, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $1,036,575.19.

Expenditures, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $1,081,490.87.

Total expenditures, through Oct. 19: $3,191,178.42

Highlights from current report: $995,000 in contributions from Balukoff; $2,500 from Bev Harad, a former Boise School Board member; and another $90 from Geoff Thomas, Madison School District superintendent and a member of Otter’s education reform task force.

Butch Otter, Republican.

Contributions, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $184,320.53.

Expenditures, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $615,453.64.

Total expenditures, through Oct. 19: $1,842,615.07.

Highlights from current report: Otter received money from two members of his education reform task force: Boise businessman Bob Lokken ($1,000) and House Education Committee Chairman Reed DeMordaunt of Eagle ($250.) Other large donations include $5,000 from Chevron; $4,000 from Union Pacific Railroad; and $1,583.53 from the Idaho Cattle Association.

John Bujak, Libertarian.

Contributions, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $11,565.

Expenditures, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $2,260.61.

Total expenditures, through Oct. 19: $14,557.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Jana Jones, Democrat

Contributions, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $17,249.45.

Expenditures, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $12,627.48.

Total expenditures, through Oct. 19: $101,790.74.

Highlights from current report: $3,000 from Idaho Forest Group, Athol; $200 from Nancy Gregory, Boise School Board member.

Sherri Ybarra, Republican

Contributions, Oct. 15-Oct. 27: $10,119.92.

Expenditures, Sept. 19-Oct. 25: $18,069.56.

Total expenditures, through Oct. 25: $31,880.91.

Highlights from current report: Her biggest single contribution is not news, a $5,000 contribution from the Idaho Republican Party, disclosed on a separate report last week. Ybarra also received $500 from Senate Education Committee member Steven Thayn of Emmett.

Secretary of State

Holli Woodings, Democrat

Contributions, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $143,486.

Expenditures, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $194,215.37.

Total expenditures, through Oct. 19: $366,574.80.

Highlights from current report: Woodings loaned another $100,000 to her campaign. Donations included $750 from Boise businessman Skip Oppenheimer; $450 from the Idaho Cattle Association; and another $50 from Boise School Board member Troy Rohn.

Lawerence Denney, Republican

Contributions, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $20,271.28.

Expenditures, Oct. 1-Oct. 19: $10,707.73.

Total expenditures, through Oct. 19: $248,492.82.

Highlights from current report: $5,000 from Avista Corp., Spokane, Wash; $1,000 from Potlatch Corp., Spokane; $500 from Hagadone Corp., Coeur d’Alene. Also, contributions from six Republican legislators.

More sunshine reports: Check out what the candidates have raised in the home stretch, after Oct. 19. Kevin Richert has a running blog.

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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