One of the more interesting information points in Alexandria’s local election season comes with first quarter campaign finance filings with the Virginia Department of Elections. Required by law, these reports shed light on who raised how much, from whom and when.

These reports can reveal which candidates have mostly local support and which are mainly backed by people outside of Alexandria. They tell us who raised more money from small donors and who from large. And they tell us which candidates have already spent freely and which have the most dry powder on hand.

Of the 15 candidates competing in the June 8 Democratic primary, 13 are running for the six seats on council and two are vying for the right to wield the mayoral gavel on the dais. Together, all 15 candidates raised a total of almost half a million dollars in the first quarter of 2021 – $470,031 to be exact. That’s a formidable sum raised in three months for a local election.

Both incumbent Mayor Justin Wilson and former Mayor Allison Silberberg did extremely well and can draw favorable conclusions from their fundraising. Wilson garnered the most overall, with $90,740 compared to Silberberg’s $65,364, a margin of just over $25,000. He also had a two-to-one margin in individual donors, 531 to 238.

The mayor took heart from the 346 donations he received of $100 or less, totaling $22,152. In today’s page one Times story, “Campaign cash,” Wilson said the number of small donors attests to the “grassroots support” for his campaign.

While Wilson had a strong three months, Silberberg had an astounding seven days. In an effort to compare the two candidates during the seven days they ran head-to-head, we examined each single donation of more than $100 – which are itemized by donor and date – the two received during that time. Silberberg outpaced Wilson by almost $30,000 for the week, raising $53,512 to Wilson’s $23,706.

Silberberg’s late entry into the race elicited a flurry of large donations, an indication of a pent-up desire from residents for a contested primary. She received 20 contributions of $1,000 or more between March 24 and 31, compared to five for Wilson during that timeframe and 12 overall in the reporting period. Silberberg said donors who gave her large amounts saw “… an opportunity to express their strong support immediately …”Fundraising by those running for council was no less interesting and at times illuminating.

Surprisingly, two of the top three fundraisers are first-time candidates for council: Kirk McPike and Alyia Gaskins, who along with incumbent John Chapman, were the only candidates to raise more than $45,000. McPike raised $65,660, Chapman $51,499 and Gaskins $47,012 between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2021. Chapman’s support among those who contributed single donations of more than $100 was overwhelmingly local – 78 of his 113 donors gave an Alexandria address. The opposite was true of McPike and Gas–kins, however, as their donors were mostly from outside Alexandria. Only 15 of McPike’s 146 reported single donations of more than $100 were from people with an Alexandria address, and only 18 of 75 donors of $100 or more to Gaskins claim an Alexandria residence.

This is contrasted by first-time candidate Bill Rossello, who came in at 100% local in single donations of $100 or more: 19 of 19 donors who gave Rossello $100 or more live in Alexandria.

While she raised the third most among candidates, Gaskins also spent by far the most money in the first quarter of 2021, $32,157, leaving her in the middle of the pack in cash on hand, behind Chapman, McPike, Aguirre, Lewis and Rossello, in order of cash on hand.

While people may vary in whether a candidate’s fundraising is a factor in who they vote for, two things seem clear. First, the amount of money raised reflects a high level of interest in this election, and second, the fun is just beginning.