Wichita mayoral candidate Lily Wu topped her previous fundraising record set during the primary election, according to the latest campaign finance reports.
The former television reporter raised $221,731 since the week before the primary and leading into the general election. That amount was mainly from large contributions from prominent Wichita business leaders and groups.
Maximum contributions for city offices during a primary and general election are capped at $500.
Current Mayor Brandon Whipplebrought in more than $70,000, which is about double what he raised in the primary.
Most of the contributions in Whipple’s report came from individuals donating less than the $500 maximum contribution, but he also received more than $5,000 from local labor unions.
Wu spent about $220,000 during the reporting cycle, mainly on polling and marketing and advertising work. That leaves her campaign with almost $90,000 leading into the general election next week.
Whipple’s campaign has far less left in a highly-contested race for his second term. His report shows that the campaign only has about $13,000 on-hand for the final week.
Both campaigns had some help from outside groups.
Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political action group that receives funding from the Koch family, contributed more than $120,000 to help Wu’s campaign.
Americans for Prosperity has previously not participated in the Wichita mayor’s election and has become an attack point for Whipple’s more progressive campaign.
Whipple also has his own political action committee, called Wichita’s Future. The committee is run by his wife, Chelsea Whipple, which reported spending just under $20,000 for voting reminders, and a letter supporting her husband that was mailed to voters earlier this month.
Brandon Whipple also disclosed in his filing that on top of the money he raised, the Kansas Democratic Party spent more than $34,000 for “in-kind” contributions to his campaign for mailers, postage and software.
While Whipple did not raise the most money for his re-election, this was also the case for the election cycle in 2019where he went on to win the general election.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Early voting is ongoing at the Sedgwick County Election Office and more advance polling locations open Thursday.
