HANCOCK COUNTY – With the primary election quickly approaching on May 7, deadlines to file campaign finances, such as contributions, ended April 19, showing the numbers where each candidate has spent so far.
Breakdowns of each state representative candidates’ contributions are public record and required by the state to be reported in pre-primary reports.
In one of the more popular races, such as state positions, past candidates have been known to spend well into six figures. A breakdown in the Republican primary for District 53 shows a wide variety of money raised and spent by the candidates.
Kevin Mandrell raised a total of $107,569.43 in financial contributions, with $42,043.67 in expenditures. Debts owed by the committee is listed at $52,500.
Mandrell said he didn’t know what to expect from the campaign but is fortunate to have longtime family and friends who donated to his campaign.
Mandrell said other contributions also came from local businesses and relationships he has developed over the years in District 53 and around the state, many of them being organizations he volunteers with.
“It was incredible, the support in the number of people that stepped up, you know, proactively to lend me some support, and the confidence I felt like I needed to get this across the finish line,” Mandrell said.
Mandrell, who works with WalkerHughes Insurance, also received $10,000 from the Insurance Political Action Committee on April 24 according to reports, which he said was support from his peers in the insurance industry.
Mandrell said he has hired a professional firm to help with his campaign, sending out mailers, advertising on social media posts, using text messages, and signage — approximately 75 large signs and 500 small ones.
With less than two weeks, he said, they are putting “a lot of emphasis on all the above to make sure we get our message out.”
Mandrell said he has also knocked on a couple thousand doors and received positive feedback, adding meeting and talking with people in District 53 is one of the best ways to spread the message of his campaign.
Republican candidate Brian Evans’ numbers include a total of $8,433.92 in contributions and $3,786.67 in expenditures, according to the state’s website. Evans said that many of his contributions came from family and friends, which he is grateful for.
“I tried to do as much grassroots as possible but at the same time, I didn’t really feel comfortable asking friends and families for a lot of money because we’re all experiencing economic hard time,” Evans said.
With the contributions Evans has gained from the support of friends and family, he was able to recently send out mailers to approximately 6,400 people throughout the county.
As for campaign signs, Evans has put his money toward having 250 small signs and approximately 15 larger signs – some with his picture included.
Republican candidate Keely Butrum reported a total of $15,188.23 in contributions, $13,330.25 in expenditures, with $5,118.92 coming from what was reported as cash on hand at the beginning of this year, according to the pre-primary report.
Butrum said she spent a fair amount of her budget on signage with approximately 400 signs, some on social media and overall advertising. Butrum said she did spend money on mailers for the campaign but has limited it to one piece of mail to a smaller group of people.
Butrum said that by being a financial planner by trait, she created a budget when she decided to run and felt comfortable personally investing $10,000, expecting to spend a total of between $16-17,000 for her campaign. However, she did not feel comfortable taking donations from special interest groups or other people attempting to have a future influence.
“I have been offered the opportunity on multiple occasions to be introduced to the kind of people who write $1,000 checks to be on a candidate’s radar, and I have politely declined any such introductions,” said Butrum, adding almost all donations to her campaign are local.
Some of those local donations include Greenfield Mayor Guy Titus, Hancock County Sheriff Brad Burkhart and fellow county council member Kent Fisk, who is running for reelection.
Butrum added that she wasn’t interested in obtaining funding from people who want to be on a candidate’s radar who aren’t the people she would be representing if elected.
Butrum also added to help stay within her personal budget, instead of hiring outside help with her campaign she has personally put in the work.
“I believe that you have to spend a certain amount of money to ensure that you are heard of and seen before voting starts, but I am testing the theory… mail and text messages is not the definer anymore of winning elections,” Butrum said.
Republican Ethan Lawson reported a total of $90,448.14 in contributions, with $28,682.55 in expenditures, and debt owed by the committee is listed at $20,000.
Lawson said that when he began campaigning in January, he knew that they would need to do it alongside friends and family, with Greenfield City Council president Dan Riley chairing the campaign committee.
“I’m grateful for the investments that hundreds of our Hoosier neighbors have made in our campaign and our message of authentic, conservative leadership that’s resonating across our district,” Lawson said.
Lawson said that this also “reflects the groundswell of grassroots conservative support we hear while knocking on doors,” reaching voters across Hancock and Madison counties.
“Reaching voters where they are is expensive, and this strong support enables us to do that and to win on May 7,” Lawson said.
Registered voters can early vote now or on primary election day, May 7. For locations and times for when to vote in the Republican primaries, visit greenfieldreporter.com or hancockin.gov for information.
