Jim Graham leads in fundraising among D.C. council members

Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) leads the way in fundraising among the D.C. Council members who are up for reelection this year.

Graham, who is seeking a fourth term, raised $171,391 from Oct. 1 through Jan. 31. Graham, who has been battered by a wave of bad news in the past year as he chaired the Metro board and weathered the arrest of his top aide, spent $8,000. He has $162,000, the highest total of any sitting council member up for reelection, excluding Council Chairman Vincent Gray.

All council members who are declared candidates have filed their quarterly campaign finance reports with the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics that have been uploaded onto the board's website. Gray (D) is up for re-election, but has not yet declared his candidacy.

Among ward council members, Tommy Wells (D-6) has the second highest cash-on-hand tally behind Graham. Wells, who is seeking a second term, raised $74,629 during the quarter. He spent $15,000, but still has $99,000 in the bank.

Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) started the quarter with $56,000 in the bank. After raising $39,000, she ends the quarter with about $94,000.

Council member Harry Thomas (D-Ward 5), who is expected to face several challengers, raised $50,000 during the quarter, including a $3,000 inkind contribution from himself. Thomas reports $42,000 on hand.

In the at-large races, Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At large) reported about $130,000 in the bank - three times as much as his opponent in the Democratic primary, former Parks and Recreation director Clark Ray.

Council member David Catania (I-At large) who is seeking a fourth term, did not start raising money until this month. But Catania collected $33,00 in $1,000 contributions recently. Catania has a bit more time to raise money because he does not have to compete in the September Democratic primary.

--Tim Craig