By Ken Sain, | Chandler Arizonan
Ruth Jones’ bid to upset incumbent Mayor Kevin Hartke in the Aug. 2nd election is a true underdog affair while the race to fill three other seats on City Council pits an incumbent against four challengers.
Hartke, after serving two terms on Council and one term as mayor, has name recognition. He also has a huge advantage in campaign finance funds. And he’s the incumbent. Those three advantages usually lead to victories.
However, not always. There have been a handful of cases where a scrappy underdog has been able to pull off the upset, said his challenger.
“Don’t count me out,” Jones said after second quarter campaign finance reports were filed July 15. A report for July 1-July 16 must be filed on July 25.
Hartke raised only $17,226 in the second quarter of this year, but entered that period with nearly $229,000 in the bank, according to his most finance statements. He spent $25,072.95 from April 1 through June 30, giving him more than $223,000 going into the final weeks of the primary campaign.
Jones raised the least amount of any of the seven candidates on the ballot who are running for a spot on the Council. She reported raising $8,752.40 and closed June with a balance of $135.80.
“It’s not about the money, it’s never been about that,” Jones said. “The reason why I’m going to win is I’ve gone out and talked to the people who live here. I’ve listened, and because I’ve done that, they know I care.”
