Tarkanian top primary fundraiser

When he first filed, challenger Jim McKalip said that Commissioner Danny Tarkanian told him the race would cost him $200,000.

It turns out that $52,835 in campaign donations were sufficient to give Tarkanian the win in the Douglas County commissioner Republican primary.

Nearly a fifth of that came from Glenbrook residents Chuck and Cindy Bluth, who donated $10,000 to Tarkanian.

Tarkanian’s efforts to implement a ban on vacation home rentals north of Cave Rock generated more than $8,000 in donations from Lake Tahoe residents in addition to the $10,000, but several prominent residents of Carson Valley also contributed to his campaign.

Carson Valley Inn owner Mike Pegram donated $5,000 to Tarkanian’s re-election campaign, according to a report filed with the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office. Park Cattle Holdings owner David Park donated $1,500.

The Nevada First PAC, which supported School Board Trustee Katherine Dickerson’s campaign in 2022, donated $2,500.

Tarkanian spent $41,965 on the campaign, leaving him an $18,907 war chest for the general election.

Challenger Jim McKalip raised $18,443, spending only $8,040, according to his statement. Both the South Lake Tahoe Alliance of Resorts and the Reno Sparks Association of Realtors donated $2,500 to McKalip’s campaign. Rep. Mark Amodei donated $2,000 to McKalip’s campaign.

Supporting McKalip, Commissioner Mark Gardner and Nate Tolbert, Political action committee Elevate Douglas County operated by Bryan Davis received $9,000 in contributions and spent $15,986, according to secretary of state’s web site. The South Lake Tahoe Alliance of Resorts donated $7,500 and the Nevada Builders Alliance donated $1,500.  The main expenditure was $10,431 for direct mail and $3,780 to The Record-Courier for advertising.

Tarkanian faces nonpartisan Brian Dempsey in the general election. So far, Dempsey has reported raising $2,060 and spending $1,716.83.

Gardner raised $18,375 for his re-election campaign and only spent $7,637 to win his primary race, according to contributions and expenses report filed on July 1.

The Reno Sparks Association of Realtors donated $2,500 to Gardner’s campaign. Genoa residents Linda McDonald and Lois Wray donated $1,500 and $1,000 respectively.

Gardner filed an election integrity complaint because opponent Michael Tanner didn’t report where his $6,750 in donations came from or how he spent $9,386.92.

Capital Beverages’ Kurt Brown donated $5,000 to Tanner’s campaign through his Nevada Citizen’s First political action committee, according to that filing with the Secretary of State’s Office. That money came from Park Ranch Holdings, according to the donation declaration for the committee.

Tolbert very nearly spent the exact same amount on his campaign as Gardner did.

According to his reporting, he raised $8,105 and spent $7,664.56, leaving him with a balance of $440.44.

The South Tahoe Alliance of Resorts and the Reno Sparks Association of Realtors each donated $2,500, providing the majority of Tolbert’s campaign contributions.

Opponent Janet Freixas reported raising $795 and spending $530 in the race. Her largest donor was Brown with $500. Her largest expense was the $250 entry for the Carson Valley Days Parade.

Candidates are required to file contribution and expense reports with the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office once a quarter and an annual report.