The two candidates running for district attorney on the northshore aren’t letting a short campaign season hamper their ability to raise money.
Collin Sims, the interim DA, had raised more than $371,000 as of mid-December. He entered the stretch run of the campaign with nearly that much on hand, the most recent campaign finance reports filed with the state show.
Vincent Wynne had raised more than $176,000 and had more than $137,000 on hand as of mid-December, his reports showed.
The special election for 22nd Judicial District Attorney, which includes St. Tammany and Washington parishes, is set for March 23. The winner will fill the remaining three years of the term of Warren Montgomery, who died in November after a yearslong battle with cancer.
Sims was Montgomery's first assistant, and by law, he assumed the top role on an interim basis with Montgomery's death. Wynne, a Covington-based attorney, is making his second run for the office, having lost to Montgomery in November 2020.
The special election to fill the remainder of Montgomery’s term was called shortly after his death, with qualifying set for Dec. 13-15. The quick turnaround, some politics watchers thought, might limit the number of candidates and make raising money more difficult.
The latest reports filed with the state outline the candidates' contributions and expenditures as of Dec. 14.
In a news release Wednesday, Sims said his total is now over $400,000, which he called “a commanding lead in fundraising.”
“With the special election being held in March, early fundraising efforts are critical to the success of a campaign,” Sims said in the news release. “The support we’ve received from this community in such a short amount of time has been humbling.”
Lionel Rainey III of LR3 Consulting, who is working with Sims, said the campaign could cost upwards of $700,000.
“Typically, in a race this size – a two-parish race in a very expensive media market – historically it would be north of half a million dollars,” Rainey said.
Wynne said Wednesday that his 2020 campaign was in the $750,000 range, but that the shorter campaign this time will be a factor.
“It’s a short window,” he said. “You’re going to have to be kind of frugal in how you get your message out.”
“We haven’t even had a fundraiser yet,” Wynne added.
Wynne's forms listed spending of more than $38,000, including $11,500 to Buisson Creative, run by veteran campaign strategist Greg Buisson.
Sims' report listed expenditures of $1,585, mostly associated with campaign contributions.