See who’s raising money in Alabama’s most competitive mayoral race

The seven candidates running for mayor of Mobile have raised over $800,000 this year, four months before a single vote will be cast.

Yet over 71% of those dollars have gone to just two of those in the running: Former District Judge Spiro Cheriogotis and Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson, according to an AL.com analysis of Fair Campaign Practices Act data from the Alabama Secretary of State’s office.

Related: Out-of-state donations help Randall Woodfin to early campaign cash lead in Birmingham mayors race

Municipal elections will be held Aug. 26 in most Alabama cities. Campaign finance data shows at least one candidate has raised or spent money in 42 cities. The race for Mobile’s top office is Alabama’s most competitive and expensive municipal election — at least so far.

Three-term Mayor Sandy Stimpson is not seeking re-election. Thanks to a change passed earlier this year, the next person to hold the office will take home a state-high salary of $195,000.

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Cheriogatis leads in funds raised between Jan. 1 and March 31, with $384,446.88. His campaign spent $14,751.32 in March and finished the month with $361,215.30 in the bank.

His largest single contributor is the South Alabamians For Good Government PAC, which gave a total of $15,500 across three donations in March. Those are the PAC’s only recorded contributions this calendar year.

Hudson has raised $198,730 this year. She spent $29,262.91 in March and had $329,641.24 on hand at the end of the month, according to the latest campaign filings.

Her largest single contributor so far is Birmingham-based Alabama Development PAC, which has given $12,000 over two contributions since January. Alabama Development PAC has raised nearly $60,000 this year from eight individual and corporate contributors, and also financially supported Tuscaloosa City Council candidate Joe Eatmon, who won a runoff election this month.

Yet individual contributors account for the bulk of both Cheriogatis’ and Hudson’s totals: 60.1% for the former and 47.5% for the latter. Cheriogatis has raised 35% from groups and corporations and just under 5% from PACs. For Hudson, 27.6% of contributions have come from PACs and 24.6% from groups and corporations.

The other candidates who have raised or spent funds are former Mobile Police Chief and Executive Director of Public Safety Lawrence Battiste, state Rep. Barbara Drummond, former Mobile City Councilman Jermaine Burrell and former Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine.

Burrell is No. 3 on the fundraising list, with $96,431 in contributions plus a $25,000 loan to his campaign. He ended March with $111,256.60. Drummond’s campaign had $84,170.79 on hand at the end of March; Prine had $32,283.88; Battiste reported $6,149.90; and Woodard, $130.94.