Monroe Nichols is closing the fundraising gap with Karen Keith, new data in the Tulsa mayoral race shows. Between the Aug. 27 general election and Oct. 28, Nichols raised over $330,000, while Keith brought in just over $280,000.
Tulsa voters will choose between Nichols and Keith in a runoff election on Nov. 5.
Nichols’ support has been driven in part by small-dollar donations: 48% of the donations he’s received since August have been under $100. In contrast, only 26% of Keith’s contributions in this timeframe have come from small donors.
“Our campaign had grassroots momentum going into Aug. 27th and has only been built since then,” said Dana Walton, a spokesperson for Nichols. “Our campaign has never been about satisfying the typical donor class.”
Before Aug. 27, Keith had maintained a wide lead in fundraising, amassing over $850,000 compared to Nichols’ $540,000. Despite the advantage for Keith, Nichols narrowly outperformed her in the general election.
Mandy Winton Giessmann, Keith’s campaign manager, noted that some of Nichols support has come from out of state. Since Aug. 13, Nichols’ campaign has received nearly $50,000 from donors with mailing addresses in other states, whereas Keith has raised nearly $17,000.
“Nearly all of Karen’s contributions are from Tulsa County,” she said. “In contrast, Nichols’ campaign is being funded by outside interests who want to control the Mayor’s Office [… and we are] facing an onslaught of dark money flooding into the race that is telling disgusting lies about Karen Keith in support of Rep. Nichols.”
Giessmann also pointed to Keith's overall lead in fundraising: “Karen Keith has outraised Monroe Nichols in this race by nearly $300,000, including an additional $70,000 since the last reports were posted,” Giessmann said.
But Keith’s campaign spent about 90% of its pre-Aug. 27 funds on the general election, records show. Both campaigns have since had to rebuild from scratch for the runoff, campaign officials said.
“Early in the campaign, the donor class was focused on who they thought would win a political race,” said Walton. “Now things have shifted, and Tulsans are investing in who they believe is best to end homelessness, improve public safety and put Tulsa on a pathway to winning the next decade.”
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