Since incumbent Mayor Richard Bissen finished first in the Aug. 8 primary election, he has out fundraised opponent Yuki Lei Sugimura, but she has spent more as she tries to make up the nearly 5,000-vote gap he had over her in the 10-person field.

Bissen’s campaign raised $79,963 to Sugimura’s $65,479, according to the latest spending reports, which were due Thursday. Both candidates are spending heavily on research and advertising as they race to the finish with a month to go before the Nov. 3 general election.

Bissen is working to build on the momentum he gained when he topped a 10-candidate mayoral primary field with 15,709 votes (46.1%), followed by Sugimura, the vice chair of the Maui County Council, with 11,438 votes (33.6%).

His spending since the primary election sheds light on his efforts to secure a win in November. He has spent $73,220, with his largest expenditure of $20,595 going to Lake Research Partners in Washington, D.C., to conduct focus groups ahead of the general election. 

He also shelled out $19,300 to Eagle Mailing Services in Salem, Ore., for direct mailers, and also spent widely on social media advertising as well as ads in local publications such as The Maui News ($1,881) and the Fil Am Voice ($1,450).  

With loans of $38,302, Bissen’s campaign had a surplus of $3,821. He has raised a total of $520,320 so far this election cycle.

Since the primary, Sugimura has spent $108,069, primarily on advertising. Her largest expenditure was $31,250 to Washington, D.C.-based Hamburger Group Creative for a media buy. She also paid for ads in local media outlets, including $798 to The Molokaʻi Dispatch, $5,355 to The Maui News and $15,706 to Pacific Media Group for ads on Maui Now and the radio. Maui Now is a partner of the nonprofit Hawai‘i Journalism Initiative, but the two organizations maintain independent newsrooms. 

Sugimura had a surplus of $44,719 in her campaign funds by the end of September. So far this election cycle, she has brought in $529,015, narrowly edging Bissen. 

Top contributors to Bissen during the Aug. 9 to Sept. 26 period included the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association and the HEMEP Political Fund, which is connected to electrician labor unions, both of which gave the maximum $4,000.

Other donors who gave $4,000 included Kaʻanapali Farm Services Inc., which tends to coffee crops at the Kaʻanapali Coffee Farms development; Suitable Technologies software developer Scott Hassan of Pā‘ia; Glen Una Management co-CEO Mark Levy of San Francisco; and Northern California real estate agent George Halsted.

Kahului-based Maui Building Source chipped in $3,000, as did Scott Sellers, a board member of Maui Land & Pineapple Co. who listed a Colorado address.

Donors who gave $2,000 during that period included the Washington, D.C.-based American Hotel and Lodging Association, Maui County Finance Director Marcy Martin, Maui County Deputy Finance Director Maria Zielinski, the Hawaii Committee on Political Education and Karen Christenson, whose family founded Mama’s Fish House. 

Bissen also landed donations from recently retired Hawai‘i Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald and former Hawai‘i Gov. and Maui County Mayor Linda Lingle, both of whom gave $1,000.

Sugimura also received $4,000 from the HEMEP Political Fund and Kaʻanapali Farm Services Inc. She also got $4,000 from Creative Tile Co. owner Curtis Ouchi of Honolulu, contractor James Striker of Striker Construction in Honolulu, retiree Michael Nekoba of Honolulu and Orlando-based Hilton Resorts Corp.

Other top donors who gave $2,000 included former Maui County Council Chair Mike White of Makawao, Ulupalakua Ranch president Sumner Erdman of Kula and the IBEW Local 1260 PAC, which is connected to unionized electrical workers. 

Sugimura also had multiple donors give $1,000, including Pacific Rim Land president Ryan Churchill of Pukalani and talent manager Shep Gordon of Kihei. 

MAUI COUNTY COUNCIL

In the Maui County Council races, where donations are capped at $2,000, incumbents and the candidates who led their primaries tended to raise the most funds.

Incumbent Council Member Tom Cook, who holds the South Maui seat, brought in $95,243 from Jan. 1 to Sept. 26, the reporting period for candidates who go straight to the general election. Cook spent $66,295 and had $28,155 leftover. 

Cook raised the most of the council candidates, a potential indication of how crucial donors see the race between him and Kelly Takaya King, the former chair of the council. Cook narrowly beat King on a razor-thin margin two years ago. 

King, meanwhile, has raised $22,921 since the start of the year. She spent $7,592 and had a surplus of $19,745.

Incumbent Council Member Nohelani U‘u-Hodgins fared second best to Cook’s contributions with $53,750. She also spent $4,480 but had a surplus of $112,194 accumulating from previous campaigns.

Uʻu-Hodgins’ opponent Stevie Kathryn Chung had not built much of a fundraising base, with just $900 in donations that included $500 from Danville, Calif., resident Michael Lippitt.

Bobby Pahia, who finished first out of four candidates in the race for the Upcountry seat to replace Sugimura, was the top fundraiser of the council candidates ahead of the primary election, but has had a quieter fundraising period since then with $13,566 in donations.

He spent $21,301 and had a surplus of $9,057 at the end of September. 

His opponent, Jon Yokouchi, has brought in $18,900 in contributions since the primary, but $11,000 of that was a loan he made to his own campaign. Yokouchi spent $20,749 and had a deficit of $8,782. 

Incumbent Council Members Tamara Paltin, Shane Sinenci and Kauanoe Batangan also had a fundraising advantage over their opponents. 

Paltin, who holds the West Maui seat, brought in $10,204, spent $1,711 and had a surplus of $36,295 with funds from previous campaigns. Her opponent, Mark Tillman, raised $6,741 and hasn’t spent anything, leaving him with the same amount. 

Batangan, who holds the Kahului seat, raised $8,000, spent $2,414 and had a surplus of $33,998. His opponent, Carol Lee Kamekona, brought in $4,851, spent $2,757 and had a surplus of $2,294.

Sinenci, who holds the East Maui seat, raised the least of the incumbents with $3,495. He spent $2,607 and had a surplus of $2,757. Claire Kamalu Carroll, his opponent, had not filed as of Thursday.