11 May 2018 — 1529 mdt
Jordan White leads the self-funding race in the
Republican primary for Flathead County Sheriff
Former undersheriff Jordan White, the least popular candidate in the Flathead County Sheriff Deputy Association’s endorsement poll (Brian Heino was endorsed with 80 percent of the vote), is the biggest self-funder in the four-man primary — and as the table below reveals, the biggest by a whopping amount.
The table is based on the C-5 campaign finance reports filed with Montana’s Commissioner of Political Practices at the end of April and in early May.
Cal Beringer had the most contributions from members of the Montana Legislature, receiving cash from State Senators Keith Regier (SD-3, Whitefish) and Al Olszewski (SD-6, Kalispell & Polson). White received an in-kind contribution from Sen. Mark Blasdel (SD-4, Kalispell). Heino received no contributions from legislators, but my initial inspection of the C-5s indicates he received contributions from more deputy sheriffs than his opponents.
White’s C-5 reports an in-kind contribution from himself valued at $7,800:
Bee Broadcast trade earned and donated by candidate. 8 ads on 8 stations per day from April 6th-12, April 20th-26th, and May 30th-June 5th.
The C-5 online does not explain what White did for Bee Broadcasting that was worth $7,800, but it’s possible that explanatory documents are on file with COPP. They might make interesting reading, for the size and nature of this in-kind donation strikes me as being both unusual and creative.
Heading into the last month of the primary campaign, Beringer has two, and Heino three, grand in the bank. Stahlberg has just under a grand, and White is just about tapped out. All the candidates will ramp up their fundraising and spending between now and 5 June, but Beringer and Heino enter the final stretch with the biggest war chests.