A look into Rep. David Sawyer’s recent Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) filings shows what appears to be a stalled campaign.
On Wednesday, Rep. David Sawyer resigned as Chair of the Commerce and Gaming Committee after an investigation found evidence he had violated ethics policies related to workplace misconduct. The same day findings from the investigation became public, Sawyer’s Democratic challenger, Melanie Morgan, announced she had received the sole endorsement of the Pierce County Democrats as well as endorsements from 14 state representatives including House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan.
According to Sawyer’s most recent PDC filings, during the month of May the representative only brought in a single $100.00 campaign donation. His only listed expenses for the month are a cell phone bill and his $477.76 filing fee (expenditure less than $50 dollars do not need to be reported). For the month of June, Sawyer has so far reported $302.00 in contributions.
By comparison, Melanie Morgan brought in over $6,000 during the same time period from multiple donors. In addition to her filing fee, Morgan also listed expenditures related to campaign signage, a kickoff party, and consulting services. Morgan reports $2,029 in June contributions.
In a comparison of overall funding, Sawyer’s account is much larger at $88,688.49 compared to Morgan’s $10,652.25. But while Sawyer has been raising money since filing his current campaign with the PDC in July 2017, Morgan didn’t file until March of this year.
On Monday, following the release of the investigation into Sawyer’s workplace misconduct, he issued a statement apologizing to those he made “uncomfortable” and committed to changing his behavior, but made no mention of his re-election plans.
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