Carolyn Goodman raised $500K in quarter leading up to primary

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman reported raising more than $500,000 during the first quarter of the year en route to a landslide reelection victory, campaign finance records showed Monday.

Goodman’s campaign drew in $505,570 and spent $236,574 between Jan. 1 and March 31, according to a disclosure filed with the Nevada secretary of state’s office. The funding and spending did not include nearly $111,000 raised and $26,000 spent in 2018.

Goodman cruised to a third and final term in the municipal primary election April 2, garnering 83.5 percent of 26,723 votes cast, according to the Clark County Elections Department.

Disclosure reports for city races were due Monday, providing the first glimpse of the year into candidate fundraising and spending efforts. Due to a 2017 bill meant to strengthen reporting transparency that also changed reporting periods without regard for municipal elections held in odd-numbered years, the disclosures come nearly two weeks after the primary election.

Like Goodman, Councilman Cedric Crear won a majority of votes Election Night. As such, he will return to represent Ward 5 on the dais for a four-year term without the need to face an opponent in the June general election.

Crear reported raising almost $204,000 and spending nearly $214,000 between Jan. 1 and March 31, according to his disclosure. That did not include $211,608 raised and $128,642 spent in 2018, although it is important to note that Crear was also padding his war chest during the early portion of last year as part of a special election campaign.

In Ward 1, addiction recovery advocate Dave Marlon finished third in a 10-candidate race and, by virtue of missing out on a top-two finish, was squeezed out of the June general election. Still, Marlon reported raising about $217,000, buoyed by a $130,000 personal loan, and he spent nearly $215,000, his filing shows.

Marlon’s finances surpassed those reported by first-place finisher Brian Knudsen, a private-sector and nonprofit adviser, and runner-up Robin Munier, who until December was a longtime special assistant to Mayor Pro Tem Lois Tarkanian.

Knudsen raised roughly $136,000 since last year and spent about $116,000, his disclosures show, and he maintains nearly $29,000 in cash on hand as he gears up for the June run-off.

Munier, who finished second, raised nearly $77,000 since last year – including a $10,000 contribution from Tarkanian’s campaign – and spent about $64,000, her filings show.

In Ward 3, top vote-getter Olivia Diaz, a former assemblywoman, raised nearly $120,000 and spent about $142,000 for her council campaign. Behind her, Melissa Clary, a Department of Veterans Affairs project manager, reported raising nearly $83,000 and spending almost $87,000.

Former Rep. Ruben Kihuen, who finished only five votes behind Clary for the second slot in the general election, did not report quarterly contributions and expenses by the 5 p.m. Monday deadline.

Once a report is filed, it is immediately posted to the secretary of state’s office website without lag time, according to April Carino, a legal research assistant with the office.

“No Means No, Ruben,” the political action committee that sought solely to prevent Kihuen from winning a Las Vegas council seat, spent more than $41,000 during the first quarter of the year, predominantly on consultant-related expenses, reports show.

The PAC raised $52,000 including $40,000 from Assemblywoman Heidi Swank’s election committee, according to the disclosure.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.

A previous version of this story incorrectly reported fundraising totals for candidates Dave Marlon and Olivia Diaz.