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

Ward 7 hopeful Johnnie Scott Rice reported raising $20,222, including a $6,000 personal contribution. Rice, who recently resigned her staff job in the office of council member David A. Catania (I-At Large), received $500 contributions from Catania and council member Carol Schwartz (R-At Large).

Cleve Mesidor, a communications consultant, raised $12,808, including a $5,198 personal contribution and a $1,000 loan. Six other candidates raised $6,000 or less. Several of the other candidates also used personal loans to boost their fundraising.

Although money was a major factor in last year's mayoral race -- Fenty raised $3.8 million to Cropp's $2.8 million -- it has not always been viewed as a major factor in ward races. When Fenty defeated 21-year veteran Charlene Drew Jarvis in 2000, she had raised $215,600 to his $43,700.

After Cropp became chairman, a special election in 1997 to fill her at-large council seat attracted four candidates, who raised a combined $80,000 for their citywide campaigns.

Carrie L. Thornhill, who had been considered a leading candidate in the race for the Ward 7 council seat, withdrew this week, said her campaign manager, J.R. Meyers. Thornhill, an appointed member of the D.C. Board of Education, was unavailable for comment.

"She did explore [running] and decided that she would not run," Meyers said.

Staff writer Nikita Stewart contributed to this report.