Primaries can be relatively quiet elections. In a two-way race – like that of Wendy Root Askew and Jeremiah Pressey in District 4 – it will be decided outright, no need to go to a November runoff. (Pressey reports zero fundraising compared to Askew’s $166,678 in the bank as of Jan. 20, according to the latest campaign finance reports.)
In District 1, there is no contest; Luis Alejo is running unopposed. That could be in part because of his campaign war chest. As of Jan. 20, he reported $250,940 on hand.
In District 5, there is a three-way race for an open seat. That means the top two vote-getters will face off again in a November runoff, unless one candidate – Alan Haffa, Kate Daniels or Bill Lipe – wins outright on March 5. That requires over 50 percent of the vote.
Daniels reports a significant fundraising haul, $259,945 in 2023. She raised 13 times more than Haffa, who reported raising $19,546 last year. Lipe raised just $3,400 in 2023, and reports one $5,000 gift in 2024 so far.
Despite running against each other, Haffa and Daniels each received a donation in January of $1,000 from the Monterey County New Progressives, a political action committee that seeks to train and financially support candidates for local office. The PAC’s largest campaign contribution this election cycle was $4,000 to Fernando Ansaldo, who is running for a seat on Soledad City Council.
Donors to the New Progressives PAC in 2023 included elected officials such as Askew; Del Rey Oaks City Councilmember Kim Shirley; and Monterey Peninsula Water Management District board member George Riley, a cofounder of the PAC.