Who’s raising money? Campaign finance reports show some surprises

Earlier this week, the Austin Monitor reported on campaign finance tallies for Mayor Kirk Watson, his opponents and candidates for District 7 and District 4. Now it’s time to look at the other races and the surprising fundraising by City Council members Zo Qadri and Ryan Alter, who are not up for reelection until 2026.

Unlike the crowded District 7 race, only two candidates are vying to fill the District 10 seat being vacated by Council Member Alison Alter. Candidate Marc Duchen reported raising more than $58,000 from 185 individuals and having $40,000 cash on hand. Ashika Ganguly reported raising more than $41,000 during the past six months and having more than $47,000 cash on hand.

Both tout their political endorsements. Ganguly works for state Rep. John Bucy and is a former teacher. She has support of three current state representatives, former Council Member Mike Martinez and various education officials. Duchen’s supporters include County Commissioner Brigid Shea, former UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven, Constable Stacy Suits and a variety of school board trustees. Duchen serves on the board of Community Not Commodity, the group that fought against land use code revision CodeNEXT and opposed the recent HOME initiative.

Both Ganguly and Duchen are the children of parents who immigrated to the United States. Her parents came from India and his from South Africa.

Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, the only Republican on Council, has just one opponent: Democrat Krista Laine. Kelly has far outraised Laine, bringing in more than $122,000 and spending less than $9,000. So she still has more than $154,000 in her campaign account. Twelve contributors were listed as attorneys on her campaign finance report. However, none of those regularly appear before Council.

Laine reported raising $66,549 and spending less than $20,000 of that. Former Mayor Steve Adler donated $450 to her. Other Laine contributors include political consultant Jim Wick, the John Bucy campaign and former Council Member Jimmy Flannigan, who lost to Kelly four years ago.

District 2 Council Member Vanessa Fuentes is running for reelection and collecting contributions to do so. So far, she has no opponent. She reported raising $57,000 in the past six months and maintaining more than $91,000 in her campaign account.

Qadri, who was elected in 2022 to represent District 9, has run a surprisingly effective race for campaign funds considering that he is not up for reelection until 2026. According to his campaign finance report, Qadri raised more than $130,000 in the past six months. He has spent a little more than $9,000 and has more than $121,000 left in his campaign account.

Responding to questions from the Monitor, Qadri said he has heard the rumors that he might run for Congress and has no intention of doing so. He said he started fundraising early because “I want to be as prepared as possible for 2026.” Qadri said he really enjoys his job and being able to “see all the great changes” Council has been able to facilitate.

Qadri’s report shows the development community appreciates his work. Although lobbyists may donate only $25 to Council candidates, their law firm colleagues do not have that restriction. Contributors are allowed to donate $450 to each candidate. At least 10 members of the Armbrust and Brown firm donated to Qadri between January and June 30. Qadri pointed out that District 5 Council Member Ryan Alter reported raising more than $55,000 on the report he filed in January. Alter, like Qadri, is not up for reelection until 2026. However, Alter’s January report shows at least a dozen attorneys – and frequently their spouses – donated the maximum amount that nonlobbyists are allowed to give. Both Council members received a significant number of donations from Endeavor Real Estate Group, which is a partner in the group working to redevelop the former site of the Austin American-Statesman.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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