Hamilton beats Kruzan in fundraising by $24,000

With one week left in the Democratic mayoral primary race, John Hamilton and Mayor Mark Kruzan have each raised more than $60,000 for their campaigns.

Hamilton raised $85,807.19 as of April 8, and Kruzan had raised $61,957.64 by the same date.

Hamilton’s top contributors were two professors, a lawyer, a retired minister and his father, according to a campaign finance report submitted to Monroe County.

According to a similar report, Kruzan’s top contributors were a physician, a retired professor and a lawyer who donated together, an engineer, a city employee and his parents.

Hamilton has kept his pledge from early in the campaign that he would not take contributions from businesses.

“None came from businesses, business organizations or corporations,” Hamilton said.

Kruzan said to the Indiana Daily Student on Feb. 17 that he does not believe there is anything wrong with accepting contributions from local businesses.

“A lot of our support has been from local businesses,” Kruzan’s Campaign Manager Jason Carnes said.

In the last week before the Tuesday primary, Hamilton said his campaign is going to continue as it has been.

“We’re going to continue to reach out to voters door by door and person by person,” he said. “We knocked on thousands of doors and held house parties with hundreds of people.”

Carnes said throughout the campaign many local businesses have played host to fundraising events for the Kruzan campaign.

“Most of the money we’ve received has been from local fundraisers,” he said.

Hamilton has also brought to the forefront Kruzan’s use of the City of Bloomington logo on campaign materials.

“We don’t think that logo should be used on political mailings,” Hamilton said.

Carnes said the Kruzan campaign researched the issue before including the city logo on a mailing.

“Mark checked with the secretary of state’s office and the attorney for the city to see if it’s something we’re allowed to use, and it’s definitely something we’re allowed to use,” Carnes said.

He also said Kruzan and other city candidates have used the logo on campaign materials in the past without receiving criticism.