Alaska News

Treadwell trails Sullivan, Begich in latest fundraising numbers

The campaign of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mead Treadwell raised $164,000 in the second quarter of this year, slightly more than rival Joe Miller but far behind Dan Sullivan, the third major GOP candidate.

Treadwell's campaign said it had $167,000 in the bank, according to a federal filing it released Wednesday, compared to $300,000 for Miller, $1.7 million for Sullivan, and $2.15 million for incumbent Sen. Mark Begich, a Democrat.

Treadwell's campaign also reported $240,500 in debts, stemming from loans Treadwell provided himself.

Begich's campaign raised $1.25 million in the second quarter, while Sullivan raised nearly $1.2 million and Miller raised $130,000.

The campaigns of Sullivan and Begich both released their numbers before they were published by the Federal Elections Commission. Miller and Treadwell did not release their figures until they were published by news outlets.

Miller's numbers were first disclosed Wednesday by the website Politico, and Treadwell's were published Thursday by political journalist Amanda Coyne.

In a prepared statement, Treadwell's campaign highlighted the number of Alaskans who had donated, saying that 527 of 669 total contributions came from inside the state. Treadwell also took an oblique swipe at Sullivan, who has been attacked for his Midwest roots.

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"I believe Alaskans will look at the person and not the money," the statement quotes Treadwell as saying. "Ohio doesn't need a third senator. This race is still about Alaska."

Treadwell also said he was "reassured" that the advertising time reserved by the Republican Party for this fall's campaign would be enough money to beat Begich. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has reserved $2.2 million.

Sullivan's campaign issued its own statement after the release of Treadwell's numbers, calling Sullivan the "clear frontrunner."

The statement said Sullivan's donations from Alaskans alone -- which amounted to "more than $195,000" of the $1.2 million raised by the campaign in the second quarter -- outpaced Treadwell's total fundraising in the same period.

Treadwell's campaign said it raised $97,500 from Alaska donors in the second quarter.

Nathaniel Herz

Anchorage-based independent journalist Nathaniel Herz has been a reporter in Alaska for nearly a decade, with stints at the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media. Read his newsletter, Northern Journal, at natherz.substack.com

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