Wiltshire, O’Connell Lead in Final Fundraising Report

This story is a partnership between the Nashville Banner and the Nashville Scene. Visit NashvilleBanner.com.

Matt Wiltshire and Freddie O’Connell were neck-and-neck in July fundraising for their ongoing bids for mayor, with the former MDHA executive Wiltshire pulling in $120,838 and the District 19 councilmember O’Connell close behind with $114,167. Wiltshire loaned his campaign $450,000 and spent $878,362 for the period of July 1 to 24, with the majority of that money spent on television ads.

Jeff Yarbro raised $85,046, followed by Alice Rolli with $54,882, Heidi Campbell with $38,746, Sharon Hurt with $23,305 and Vivian Wilhoite with $8,495. Jim Gingrich raised $5,885 from individuals and loaned his campaign another $500,000 before dropping out of the race last week.

Wiltshire has now loaned his campaign approximately $800,000, while Gingrich has loaned $2.5 million.

Following Wiltshire in spending were Yarbro with $482,333 and O’Connell with $459,602. From there, the dropoff is steep, with Rolli spending $167,419, Campbell $147,541, Sharon Hurt $102,673 and Vivian Wilhoite $21,177.

For O’Connell, the cash has followed a surge in support as seven different polls examined by the Banner since early July have shown him leading the field slightly. Most polls show a runoff would likely be between O’Connell and one of Wiltshire, Rolli or Yarbro. Each of the polls shows a high number of undecided voters, ranging between 21 and 32 percent.