Gov. Brad Little’s unofficial re-election campaign has already raked in roughly $1 million.
Little has not formally announced his bid for a second term, but he continues to far outraise all prospective rivals in the May GOP primary.
Campaigns still do not have to report all contributions until the end of the year. But they must disclose all contributions of at least $1,000 within 48 hours.
Here’s a look at the latest from the “48-hour reports.”
Governor, GOP
Little. Reported contributions: $981,635.
Recent contributors include several pharmaceutical PACs: Pfizer, Johnson and Johnson and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Little also received contributions from prominent health insurance providers Blue Cross of Idaho and Regence BlueShield.
Little received a maximum $10,000 contribution from Juul Labs, a leading manufacturer of vaping products.
Other noteworthy contributions: $10,000 from Micron Technology; $10,000 from Melaluca (the company’s CEO, Frank VanderSloot, had previously contributed to the Little campaign); $2,000 from University of Idaho President C. Scott Green; $1,500 from State Board of Education President Kurt Liebich; and $5,000 from Hall of Fame NFL quarterback John Elway.
Ed Humphreys. The Eagle Republican — a local GOP official but a political newcomer — has reported $192,020 in contributions.
Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin. Reported contributions: $122,471. Includes $5,000 apiece from McGeachin and her husband, Jim; and $1,000 apiece from the Bonneville and Custer county GOP central committees.
Steve Bradshaw. The Bonner County commissioner has reported $21,875 in contributions.
Ammon Bundy. The Emmett political activist has reported $19,950 in contributions.
Governor, Democratic
Shelby Rognstad. The Sandpoint mayor reported $46,941.66 in contributions. That sum includes $10,000 from Susie Balukoff, the wife of A.J. Balukoff, a former Boise school trustee and gubernatorial candidate who now serves as Rognstad’s campaign treasurer. Rognstad put $5,009.66 of his own money into his campaign, and received contributions from state Democratic Party Chairman C. Fred Cornforth; Sen. David Nelson, D-Moscow; and Reps. Ilana Rubel and Lauren Necochea, both D-Boise.
Melissa Sue Robinson. No reported contributions.
Lieutenant governor, Republican
Rep. Scott Bedke. The Oakley Republican and House speaker reported $188,665 in contributions. His recent contributors include Green’s wife, Gabriella Green; House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, of Star; and House Transportation and Defense Committee Chairman Joe Palmer, of Meridian.
Rep. Priscilla Giddings. The White Bird Republican has reported $151,570.91 in contributions. Recent contributions include $3,000 from the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee and $1,000 from the Custer County Republican Central Committee.
Luke Malek. The former lawmaker withdrew from the race in November, endorsing Bedke. Through November, he had raised $127,586.18 for the year.
Lieutenant governor, Democrat
Terri Pickens Manweiler. Reported contributions: $51,000, including a total of $5,000 from Cornforth.
Superintendent of public instruction, Republican
Debbie Critchfield. Reported contributions: $127,000. The former State Board of Education president has reported one recent contribution, $1,500 from the Idaho Charter School Network.
Sherri Ybarra. Reported contributions: $15,000, including a recent $4,000 contribution from the Idaho Loggers PAC. The two-term incumbent has not announced her 2022 election plans.
Branden Durst. The former state senator and representative has reported $7,500 in contributions.
(More here about recent fundraising in the state superintendent’s race.)
Attorney general, Republican
Raul Labrador. The former congressman and state GOP chairman reported $212,500 in contributions. Recent contributions include $5,000 from U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; $5,000 from Idaho Freedom Foundation board member Doyle Beck; and $2,000 from Sen. Dan Johnson, R-Lewiston.
Art Macomber. The Coeur d’Alene attorney has reported $83,962.50 in contributions. He has received contributions from several Idaho Freedom Foundation board members — including Beck; Brent Regan of Coeur d’Alene; and the Idaho Falls law firm of Bryan Smith, a Freedom Foundation board member and congressional candidate.
Lawrence Wasden. The five-term incumbent has reported $28,500 in contributions. Donors include $5,000 from Ball Ventures, a development company with ties to former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tommy Ahlquist; $10,000 from the Republican Attorneys General Association; and $2,500 from the Idaho Victory Fund, a Boise political action committee.
Dennis Boyles. The Sandpoint attorney dropped out of the race last week, endorsing Labrador. He reported no fundraising activity.
Disclosure: The Idaho Land Fund contributed $5,000 to Little. J.B. Scott — the founding chairman of the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, which funds Idaho Education News — is affiliated with the Idaho Land Fund.
