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On May 19, some candidates who did not win did distinguish themselves in a different way: by how much they spent to lose. Here's a breakdown of the candidates who spent the most and got the least in Portland-area races.
LEGISLATURE
Rob Fullmer, House District 36
(Northwest Portland)
Amount spent: $132,000
Votes received: 2,232
Cost per vote: $59
Fullmer, an MIT-educated rocket scientist who works at Portland State University, personally contributed $67,000 to his campaign, about half the money he raised. He came in third behind Dr. Lisa Reynolds and Oregon Education Association lobbyist Laurie Wimmer. A member of Service Employees International Union, Fullmer not only spent more per vote than any other legislative candidate this cycle, he split the progressive vote, arguably allowing Reynolds—the most centrist Democrat in the contest—to win.
PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL, PUBLIC FUNDING
James Davis, City Council Position 2
Amount spent: $54,285
Votes received: 1,801
Cost per vote: $30
Davis, a wellness center operator, was one of 16 candidates who qualified for public funding. He ran for the City Council Position 2 slot, seeking to replace the late Commissioner Nick Fish, on a platform of climate action and scrapping Portland's commission form of government. Davis fared the worst of all publicly funded candidates (getting 0.88 percent of the vote).
PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL, PRIVATE FUNDING
Jack Kerfoot, City Council Position 2
Amount spent: $175,000
Votes received: 7,018
Cost per vote: $25
Kerfoot, a retired energy consultant, switched from challenging Commissioner Chloe Eudaly in Position 4 to running to replace the late Commissioner Nick Fish in Position 2. The tactical shift didn't make any difference. Kerfoot spent $175,000, almost all of it his own money, to get 3.45 percent of the vote.
