The 2021 special election for Palm Coast Mayor is in full swing, and the two early frontrunners are Alan Lowe and David Alfin. Both candidates are Republicans, and both launched unsuccessful bids for office in the 2020 election season. Alan Lowe came up just short in the regular mayoral election last year, whereas Alfin lost his City Council race by a double-digit margin.
A recurring theme in the discussion surrounding the election is influence. Not just how the eventual winner will influence the government in Palm Coast, but who’s influencing the candidates that are asking to helm the city. A similar concern has overtaken national politics in the last five years, with candidates for federal office touting their PAC-lessness or even self-funding status more than ever. So with these two men having just run for office last year, what can we find out from their campaign contributions?
For one thing, it’s an insight into who the candidate might strive to represent. Certainly, any holder of the elected office ought to serve those who opposed them with equal fervor to how they serve those who contributed, but in a system where re-election begins the day a winner takes office, it’s always worth noticing whose support a prospective office-holder may be looking to hold onto.
Where David Alfin‘s Contributions Came From
The realtor and community volunteer received contributions from a variety of individuals, places, and businesses in last year’s election. Listed below are his contributions separated by their listed category and city origin. All figures are listed in US dollars. Alfin’s total campaign contributions tallied $39,719.53.
Sources of David Alfin’s campaign contributions sorted by entity type. Source: Flagler County Supervisor of Elections.
Sources of David Alfin’s 2020 campaign contributions sorted by source city. Source: Flagler County Supervisor of Elections
Where Alan Lowe’s Contributions Came From
Alan Lowe ran a primarily grassroots-funded campaign, taking no money from either political committees or PACs. His donations came near-uniformly from within the confines of Palm Coast, with only two donations originating in nearby Bunnell at a total of $1,035. Though he raised nearly $17k less than Alfin overall, Lowe had over 14k more voters in the general election than Alfin did (keeping in mind, of course, that Alfin had more opponents in his race). All figures are listed in US dollars. Lowe’s total campaign contributions tallied $22,860.00.
Sources of Alan Lowe’s 2020 campaign contributions sorted by entity type. Source: Flagler County Supervisor of Elections.
Sources of Alan Lowe’s 2020 campaign contributions sorted by source city. Source: Flagler County Supervisor of Elections.
Conclusions:
- $750 of Alfin’s contributions came from other individuals in the real estate industry.
- Much of Alfin’s contributions were funded by PACs and committees based in Tallahassee.
- Each one of Alfin’s listed PAC and committee donations were from Tallahassee, accounting for the extent of contributions from our state’s capital.
- For individuals and businesses, most of Alfin’s campaign money originated here in Palm Coast.
- Most of Alan Lowe’s donors did have a listed occupation, but the majority of those that did list ‘retired’.
- Alan Lowe contributed significantly more to his own campaign than Alfin did, making up over 50% of his overall contributions.
- Businesses contributed more money to Alfin than Lowe but accounted for a smaller percentage of his overall contributions than they did for Lowe.
Full Contribution Breakdown: David Alfin for City Council, 2020
Jeff Nay
May 30, 2021 at 7:16 am
Thank you for this important information. It is very helpful to know, who is trying to pay for and control our city officials.
Janet McDonald
May 30, 2021 at 9:45 pm
Refreshing informational reporting without slant or spin. Thank you for professionally listing commenter’s name. This will help to build a more honest community.
Sandi Sites
June 23, 2021 at 2:09 pm
This information is found on the SOE website. What I would like to know is who is paying for the ads for Alfin that are airing on MSNBC? I have seen probably several dozen over the last weeks. It has to be expensive. Is Alfin required to report those expenditures? The disclaimer at the bottom of the ad says “Paid for by David Alfin for Palm Coast Mayor”.
Alfred Ruiz
July 15, 2021 at 10:42 am
According to your graphs, Alfin has gotten 77.1% of his total contributions from outside sources!
While Lowe has gotten 4.6% from outside sources!
From the graphs shown above, who would you presume owes more loyalty to outside sources?