Analysis of fundraising in Atlanta's race for Mayor

By Charles Edwards

Atlanta, GA – The 6 candidates running to be Atlanta's Mayor will disclose their fundraising numbers for the last time later the month.

So far, city councilor Mary Norwood has raised the most money.

WABE's Charles Edwards reports

The last time the candidates disclosed campaign contribution was June 30th. Back then, Norwood was the first to post more than a million dollars in donations.

NEWMAN: "I think the first reason is that she was campaigning early and very actively."

Harvey Newman is a political science professor at Georgia State University.

Norwood jumped in the Mayor's race in February 2008. That was actually after City Council President Lisa Borders announced her candidacy. But Borders jumped out in the summer of 2008 only to return this April. Former State Senator Kasim Reed couldn't actively campaign for Mayor until the legislature ended earlier this year.

Since then, Reed has pulled in more than 965 thousand dollars. Borders came in 3rd with more than 770 thousand dollars. Reed and Borders are raising more money per donor than Norwood. However, Norwood has more contributors. Emory University political science professor Michael Leo Owens says that may be because Norwood is an at-large city councilor. Instead of representing a district of Atlanta, Owens says her seat encompasses the entire city.

OWENS: "She is known to appear all across the city in all sorts of neighborhoods to support a range of initiatives and people trying to make positive changes in their communities."

Owens has contributed to Borders but the DeKalb County resident says he does not work for her campaign.

Time and her council seat may not be the only feathers in Norwood's hat. Georgia State's Harvey Newman says Norwood own a robocall company.

OWENS: "The fact that she owns a company that does this for advertising purposes and campaigns gives her access to and control over this kind of technology in a way the other candidates might not have."

Even though Norwood has the fundraising lead, Kasim Reed and Lisa Borders both say they're catching up fast.

As for the other mayoral candidates, businessman Jesse Spikes has raised more than 470 thousand dollars. However, almost half of it came from a loan from himself.
Police officer Peter Brownlowe has raised less than 400 dollars. Crime reform advocate Kyle Keyser started his run after the June 30th deadline.

However, he and others will file on September 30th. That's the next and last filing for the Mayor's race.

Charles Edwards, WABE News.