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Gubernatorial campaign funding led by Walker, Democratic candidate Mitchell

Posted at 5:49 PM, Jul 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-17 18:49:39-04

As we head into the final weeks before the August primary we've got our hands on the fundraising reports for Gov. Scott Walker and his Democratic challengers.

The quarterly reports were due Monday evening, experts say they show which democratic candidates are really catching fire but it also shows Democrats are still well behind Gov. Walker when it comes to funding.

During last week’s Democratic Gubernatorial debate, campaign finances were a hot topic of discussion. Among Democrat candidates Mahlon Mitchell is in the lead

"It's clear we have the most momentum, we raised the most dollars," Mitchell said.

Mitchell has raised more than $1 million since November followed by Kelda Roys, Tony Evers and Matt Flynn.

As we head into the stretch run before the primary, Dr. Paul Nolette with Marquette University says now we can expect more television ads from candidates.

"Well I think overall it's an indication of how well or poorly each of the Democratic candidates are doing in the race and getting their name out and getting excitement among the Democratic base," Nolette said.

Although Mitchell has raised the most money, small business owner Roys, has the most cash on hand thanks to a $255,000 personal loan she made to her campaign.

"The cash on hand is important, you need money in order to do that, you need resources," Nolette said.

Nolette says that helps with advertising but there is one big take away from this.

"When you compare to the numbers that Scott Walker has, it shows that there still is an uphill battle for the Democrats running for governor," he said.

Walker has raised $12.6 million for his campaign since January 2017. The AP reports he has nearly $6 million cash on hand to spend on ads.

During the most recent Marquette University Law School poll, Tony Evers led the pack.

A new poll is expected to be released Wednesday at 12:15 p.m., Nolette says he doesn't expect much change but thinks it'll be interesting to see what comes out.