Following the Money in Minot’s Mayoral Race

In the recent Minot mayoral race, the second-leading fundraiser received only thirty-two more votes than the third-place finisher, who raised zero—yes, zero—campaign donations. At first impression, that makes Minot a political outlier. It raises some interesting questions (at least to nerds). What would have happened if the third-place finisher had raised more money? How wisely did the second-place finisher spend his money? In local races, is word of mouth more valuable than money?

The mayoral campaign disclosures are a matter of public record with the North Dakota Secretary of State. The winner appears to have raised his funds from independents, a few Democrats, and Republican centrists. He was in third place in raising campaign contributions. The second-place finisher appears to have raised his funds from the Republican right.

By far, the most money was raised by a fringe candidate who finished last. He declared no contributions below two hundred dollars and total contributions of twenty-eight thousand five hundred dollars. Of that total, only fourteen hundred dollars came from persons from Minot. Other contributions came from around North Dakota—such as Williston, Grand Forks, Parshall, and Fargo. Out-of-state contributions came from Colorado, Tennessee, and Florida. American Pride Movers gave him two thousand dollars, but no location for them was disclosed. His reward for being the top fundraiser was a last-place finish with a mere three hundred twenty-four votes.

Of the three Ms—the money, the message, and the messenger—money was a big loser in Minot. May all candidates see the big picture: a functional government. Is that asking too much?