Bowser Raises Nearly $196,000 to Brown's $35,756

Muriel Bowser, a candidate for the Ward 4 D.C. Council seat vacated by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D), said she has raised about $196,000, an indication that her campaign is benefiting from the mayor's endorsement and the use of his political machine.

Yesterday was the first campaign finance deadline for candidates planning to run in the May 1 special election.

The Ward 4 race has 21 candidates, and 25 people are seeking to fill the Ward 7 council seat left open when Vincent C. Gray (D) was elected council chairman in November.

"It's certainly a great help," Bowser said of Fenty's involvement in her campaign. "What we want to be sure of is that our message gets out far and wide, and that's what the resources help us do."

Michael A. Brown, who ran against Fenty for mayor and has substantial name recognition, has raised $35,756, according to his campaign finance report.

Brown ran for mayor for more than a year. He dropped out of the race before the September primary and threw his support to former council chairman Linda W. Cropp (D). After his citywide run, Brown, son of the late U.S. Commerce Secretary Ronald H. Brown, said he needed less money than his challengers to win.

"We don't have the name-recognition challenges that she does," he said, referring to Bowser.

Ward 4 candidate Renee Bowser, who is not related to Muriel Bowser, raised $21,322, including a $10,641 personal contribution.

The other Ward 4 candidates who filed reports by the close of business yesterday raised less than $6,000.

Each candidate must collect 500 signatures by Feb. 21 to be on the ballot. The maximum contribution is $500 per donor.

When the campaign office closed at 6 p.m. yesterday, 17 candidates had filed reports; the others had until midnight to file electronically.

In the Ward 7 race, neither Fenty nor Gray has made a public endorsement.