EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first of a two-part series on campaign contributions filed with the state Public Disclosure Commission. This report examines contributions for the two legislative races.
Boosted by unions and lawyers’ groups, Democrats Steve Tharinger and Kevin Van De Wege have raised a combined $202,542 — more than twice their opponents — in their efforts to win two 24th Legislative District House seats in the all-mail Nov. 2 general election.
Ballots will be mailed to voters Wednesday.
Tharinger, 61, of Dungeness has raised $104,328 compared with the $45,378 generated by Republican opponent Jim McEntire, 60, of Sequim for the Position 2 seat vacated by retiring Democrat Lynn Kessler.
All numbers reflect reports filed by Oct. 4 with the state Public Disclosure Commission.
Van De Wege, the 35-year-old, two-term Position 1 incumbent from Sequim, has raised $98,242, almost three times that of his opponent, Republican Dan Gase, 56, of Port Angeles, who has garnered $35,506.
The next reporting date is Monday, PDC spokeswoman Lori Anderson said last week.
Tharinger, a full-time Clallam County commissioner who will keep his position if elected, received the largest single contribution of all four candidates — $15,000 from the state House Democratic Campaign Committee.
He also received $5,000 from Jefferson County Democrats of Port Townsend, $4,000 from the 24th Legislative Democratic Central Committee and $1,000 from the Clallam County Democratic Central Committee.
Van De Wege, a Clallam County Fire District 3 firefighter-paramedic, received numerous contributions from firefighter unions, along with $1,600 each from the Jamestown S’Klallam and Hoh tribes as well as $800 from the Gun Owners Action League of Washington and the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund in Fairfax, Va.
McEntire, a retired Coast Guard captain and current Port of Port Angeles commissioner who will resign the part-time elected position if elected to the Legislature, also received $800 from the Gun Owners Action League.
McEntire and Gase, a real estate managing broker and consultant, each received $1,600 from the Calportland Company, a Glendora, Calif.-based building materials and construction services company with nine aggregate yards and plants in Washington state, including its Mats Mats yard in Jefferson County.
McEntire and Gase also each received $1,600 from the Washington Affordable Housing Council, the political action committee of the Business Industry Association of Washington.
McEntire also received $1,400 from the Washington Association of Realtors.
The 24th District includes Clallam and Jefferson counties and the northern half of Grays Harbor County, excluding Aberdeen.
Individual contributions, excluding those from political parties, cannot exceed $800 for the primary election and $800 for the general election, Anderson said.
County and state legislative parties share the same contribution limit of 40 cents for every registered voter.
The state party can donate up to 80 cents per voter.
Most expenditures by candidates was for print and broadcast advertising and bulk mailing.
The following contributions and expenditures are available at www.pdc.wa.gov.
24TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT, POSITION 1
Gase contributions
Gase, 56, a Port Angeles real estate manager broker and consultant, has raised $35,506, including in-kind contributions of $1,663, and has reported expenditures of $24,910.
Here are contributions to his campaign of $500 or more.
• $1,600: CalPortland Co., Glendora, Calif.; Washington Affordable Housing Council.
• $800: Mathew Levon, Howard Ruddell, Amy Ruddell, Sandra Ruddell, all Port Angeles; Trucking Action Committee, Federal Way; Wal PAC (Wal-Mart stores political action committee).
• $600: Ronald Garnero, Port Angeles.
• $500: Joseph Cammack, Tom Curry, Ray Gruver, Thomas LaRosa, Kathryn Sanders, all Port Angeles; Premera Blue Cross, Seattle; John Quigg, Aberdeen.
Gase reported 80 contributions of less than $500.
Van De Wege contributions
Van De Wege has raised $98,242, including in-kind contributions of $8,418, and has reported expenditures of $64,644.
Here are contributions to his campaign of $500 or more.
• $1,600: International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1747-Kent; Citizens for a Better Government, Puyallup; Washington State Trial Lawyers Association City of Destiny Political Action Committee, Tacoma; Hoh Indian tribe, Forks; International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302, Bothell; Jamestown S’Klallam tribe, Sequim; Northern Attorneys Political Action Committee; Puget Sound Pilots, Seattle; Puget Sound Energy, Bellevue; Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council, Washington State Cops, Olympia; Washington Education Association Political Action Committee, Federal Way; Washington Health Care Association, Tumwater.
• $1,300: Strategies 360 Inc., Seattle
• $800: Campaign for Tribal Self-Reliance by Washington Indian Gaming Association, Washington State Troopers, Washington Federation of State Employees Contributions Account, Olympia; Centurytel Inc., District 1199 NW Service Employees International Union Political Action Committee, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 77 Political Action Committee, Puget Sound Citizens for Political Responsibility, Qwest Washington Political Action Committee, Victims Advocate, Seattle; Everett Firefighters Local 46; Field Dirken Lee, Gig Harbor; Firefighters Local 1052, Richland; Gun Owners Action League of Washington, Bellevue; HSP Investments II, LLC Discovery Memory Care, Justice Political Action Committee, Local 252 Public Information Fund, Senior Services of America, Tacoma; International Association of Fire Fighters Local 29 — Spokane Firefighters; Northern Attorneys Political Action Committee, NRA Political Victory Fund, Fairfax, Va.; Professional Fire Fighters of Kitsap County, Silverdale; Renton Fire Fighters Local 864, Renton; Seaport Landing Retirement & Assisted Living Community, Salem, Ore.; Service Employees International Union Healthcare 775NW SSF, Federal Way; Washington Trial Lawyers for Victims Rights, Aberdeen.
• $700: Seattle Firefighters.
• $500: Sylvia Hancock, Sequim; Bremerton Fire Fighters IAFF No. 437, Bremerton; CWA-COPE PCC, Washington, D.C.; Field Dirken Lee, Gig Harbor; HSP Investments LLC Discovery Memory Care, Senior Services of America, Tacoma; Spokane Valley Fire Fighters Political Action Committee, Spokane Valley; International Association of Fire Fighters Local 2595-King County Paramedic, Kent; Imperium Renewables Inc., Washington Bankers Association political action committee, Seattle; Western Washington Trial Lawyers for Victims Rights, Aberdeen; Lakewood Fire Fighters No. 1488, Lakewood; William A. Taylor, Washington Public Employees Association/UFCW Local 365, Olympia; United Association Local 32, Renton; Walla Wall Fire Political Action Committee, Walla Walla.
Van De Wege reported 223 individual contributions under $500.
24TH LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT, POSITION 2
McEntire contributions
McEntire has raised $45,378, including in-kind contributions of $1,426, and has reported expenditures of $18,838.
• $1,600: CalPortland Company, Glendora, Calif.; Washington State Dental Political Action Committee, Seattle; Ocean Gold Seafoods Inc., Westport; Washington Affordable Housing Council, Washington Restaurant Association, Olympia;
• $1,400: Washington Association of Realtors, Olympia.
• $1,000: Premera Blue Cross, Seattle; Fred McEntire, Jefferson, Ga.
• $800: Rian Anderson, Levon Mathews, Straits Marine & Industrial Inc., Port Angeles; Gun Owners Action League of Washington, Bellevue; Ocean Protein LLC, Hoquiam; John Quigg, Aberdeen; The Regence Group, Portland, Ore.; Trucking Action Committee, Federal Way; Washington State Dental Political Action Committee, Seattle; Wal-Mart stores Political Action Committee; Washington Food Industry Political Action Committee, Olympia; Washington Farm Bureau Political Action Committee, Lacey; Philip Morris USA Inc., Richmond, Va.
• $600: Karen Rogers Consulting, Port Angeles
• $500: Mike Rauch, John Crow, Thomas LaRosa. Port Angeles; Patricia, Tenhulzen, Sherry McEntire, Jim McEntire, Sequim [the candidate]; Gary Randall, Aberdeen; James Buck, Joyce.
McEntire reported 51 individual contributions under $500.
Tharinger contributions
Tharinger has raised $104,328 including a $4,000 loan he made to his campaign. He reported in-kind contributions of $8,140 and expenditures of $46,173.
His contributions are below.
• $15,000: House Democratic Campaign Committee, Seattle.
• $5,000: Jefferson County Democrats, Port Townsend.
• $4,000: 24th Legislative Democratic Central Committee.
• $1,600: Rosalind Reichner, Sequim; Western Washington Trial Lawyers for Victims Rights, Aberdeen; Justice Political Action Committee, Tacoma; Harry Truman Fund (tied to the House Democratic Campaign Committee), Seattle; Olympic Peninsula Building & Construction Trades Council, Silverdale; Joseph Ryan, Seattle; Service Employees International Union Healthcare 1199NW, Renton.
• $1,000: Clallam County Democratic Central Committee, Port Angeles; Service Employees International UnionHealthcare 775NW.
• $800: Chantelle Reandeau, Robert Reandeau, Sequim; Central Washington Lawyers for Working Families, Yakima; Washington State Trail Lawyers Association City of Destiny Political Action Committee, Tacoma; East King County Lawyers for Justice, Kirkland; International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302, Bothell; Northern Attorneys Political Action Committee, Mount Vernon; Northwest Sportfishing Industry Washington Political Action Committee, Oregon City, Ore.; Puget Sound Citizens for Political Responsibility, William Ruckelshaus, Victims Advocate, Voters for Affordable Housing, Washington Conservation Voters Action Fund, Seattle; Washington Indian Gaming Association, Washington State Council of Fire Fighters, Olympia; Washington Education Association, Federal Way; Washington Physical Therapy, Cheney,
• $605: Proceeds from low-cost fundraiser.
• $500: Earl Archer, Virginia Clark, Gayleen Hays, Mark Hays, Sequim; Hugh Haffner, Port Angeles; Martha Jane Gibboney, Port Townsend; Martha Kongsgaard, Seattle; United Association of Journeymen & Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipefitting Industry, Renton.
Tharinger reported 342 individual contributions under $500.
MONDAY: Contributions in county races.
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Senior Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
