A judicial candidate who won his primary vote said Monday he hopes his relatively cheap campaign disproves the notion that money buys votes.
Steve Marquart said he spent about $12,000 to advance with Jonathan Garaas from a field of seven for an East Central District Judgeship. The seat is one of three up for election this year in the district, which features eight judges and serves Cass, Traill and Steele counties.
Marquart's self-reported expenditures, a total the state doesn't force candidates to disclose, puts him last in spending among the five primary winners who voluntarily provided figures. Steve Dawson, running against the only incumbent in the three races, said he didn't want his competitor, Judge John Irby, to know how much he spent.
Marquart's $12,000 estimate was as little as half of what three of his competitors said they spent for the primary. His total didn't appear in Friday's story on spending because he had court appearances in southern Minnesota and could not be reached for comment.
Two other candidates who didn't get their totals in the earlier story also reported their expenses Monday. Connie Cleveland said she spent about $8,500, and Peter Crary said he spent about $1,000. Both lost in the primary.
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A new state law this year requires judicial candidates, as well as candidates for other city and state offices, to disclose all contributions of more than $200.
The law requires candidates to at least have their submissions postmarked by the 30th day following the primary and general elections. As a result, some candidates were in compliance last week even though the secretary of state hadn't received a response by 5 p.m. Thursday.
Former judicial candidates Cleveland and Monty Mertz and winning Fargo City Commission candidate Linda Coates all had their entries postmarked in time.
Also, Crary filed by Thursday, despite an erroneous report by The Forum that he was late.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Forster at (701) 241-5538
