From the campaign finance reports: Fulcher loans campaign $35K as 1st CD race shapes up

The latest campaign finance reports in the 1 ^st District congressional race, filed yesterday, show a race that’s shaping up, with an open seat up for grabs in 2018. Former state Sen. Russ Fulcher loaned his campaign $35,000 on Sept. 30, the final day of the reporting period, to pump his fundraising numbers up from $65,421 to $100,421 for the period from July 1 to Sept. 30, higher than those of GOP rival Luke Malek, who raised $82,814 in the same time period, but didn’t start until two months ago, receiving his first contribution on Aug. 10.

Fulcher has raised $119,145 since he entered the race in June, in addition to the $35,000 loan; that puts his total receipts at $154,145. He’s spent $52,030, and at the end of the filing period had $102, 115 in cash on hand and $35,000 in debt.

Malek has raised $82,814, spent $7,328, and had $75,487 on hand at the close of the reporting period and no debt.

Meanwhile, David Leroy, the third big-name Republican seeking the congressional seat, reported raising $31,036 in the most recent quarter, on top of the $114,004 he raised the previous quarter, including $53,813 of his own money. Leroy’s total receipts come to $145,040 year-to-date; he’s spent $75,215 and had $69,825 cash on hand at the close of the reporting period.

Fulcher’s biggest contributions were from Michael and Marilyn Johnson of St. Johns, Fla, $8,100; Doyle and Elizabeth Beck of Idaho Falls, $5,400; John and Teresa McCallum of Glenns Ferry, $5,400; George and Mary Gersema of Meridian, $5,400; LaMont and Vicki Keen of Boise, $5,400; and Larry and Marianne Williams, Boise, $5,400.

Malek’s biggest contributions were from Stewart and Mary Butler of Hayden Lake, $5,400; Robin and Mary Jo Shaw of Coeur d’Alene, who are both physicians, $5,400; and the Association of Firefighters International Interested in Registration and Education PAC, $5,000. He also received contributions of $1,000 or more from the mayors of both Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls; from Shawn Swanby, CEO of North Idaho tech company Ednetics; from Mark Rey, former timber lobbyist and former undersecretary for natural resources and agriculture in the George W. Bush administration; from Sandy Patano, former longtime aide to U.S. Sen. Larry Craig; from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe; and from the CEO of Lighthouse Foods in Sandpoint, among others.

Leroy’s biggest contributions were from Dennis and Kathy Johnson of Eagle, $10,800; Kenneth and Kathleen Fait of Newport Beach, Calif., $10,800; Rex and Mary Beth Chandler of Boise, $5,400; Todd Maynes, St. Charles, Ill., $5,400; and Robie Russell of Seattle, $5,400. He also received donations including $1,050 from former Idaho First Lady Patricia Kempthorne, and more than $7,000 in in-kind accounting services from Richard Howard of Fruitland.

Interestingly, Leroy received a $250 donation from Joe Parkinson, while Fulcher received a $500 donation from Ward Parkinson. The Parkinson twins founded Micron Technology, the microchip firm that at one time was Idaho’s largest private employer; Fulcher worked for Micron for 15 years earlier in his career.

First-time Republican political candidate Michael Snyder raised $37,892, the AP reports, with $4,000 coming from a personal loan, according to his FEC quarterly report. The majority of Snyder’s contributions came from donors outside Idaho. That’s because while Snyder is not well-known among Idaho’s political leaders, he has developed a far-right religious following as an end-times author and guest speaker.

In addition, Nicholas Henderson of Post Falls has filed for the seat as a Republican, and Michael William Smith of Post Falls and Donald Miller of Meridian have filed as Democrats, but none have reported any campaign fundraising.

Current 1 ^st District GOP Rep. Raul Labrador is running for governor in 2018 rather than seeking re-election.