Fayetteville mayoral candidates poured wildly different amounts into their campaigns before the primary earlier this month. Some raised six figures and spent tens of thousands on professional consultants, billboards, and digital ads. Others relied on personal loans, retiree support, or grassroots donations under $50.
Data analyzed by CityView from campaign finance reports covering the 2025 municipal election cycle shows the final vote tally didn’t always reflect the size of the war chest.
Incumbent Mayor Mitch Colvin, the front-runner in the primary, leaned on a mix of personal loans and a tight circle of high-dollar donors. His challenger, Mayor Pro Tem Kathy Keefe Jensen, leads the field in fundraising. She built her campaign on real estate and development money, outspending Colvin nearly two-to-one but drawing less than half his votes.
And Council Member Mario Benavente, who received the third-highest number of votes in the primary, ran a largely grassroots effort, powered by small donors and public-sector workers rather than PACs or executives.
The financial divide didn’t stop at the top. Lower-polling candidates like former Fayetteville City Council Members Tisha Waddell and Paul Williams and District 8 Council Member Courtney Banks-McLaughlin relied almost entirely on self-financing and retiree contributions, spending modest sums on yard signs, robocalls, and local ads.
The fundraising data presented is limited to candidates who have submitted reports to the state and county election boards for 2025 (or since the last election, if the candidate is an incumbent). To date, three such reports have been filed:
- Mid-Year Report: Jan. 1 to June 30, due July 25
- 35-Day Report: July 1 to Aug. 26, due Sept. 2
- Pre-Primary Report: Aug. 27 to Sept. 22, due Sept. 27
There is another filing period, the Pre-Election Report, due Oct. 27.
Only candidates who raise and spend more than $1,000 for their campaigns are required by law to report those records to the state and county. As such, candidates Nahlee Iris Smith, Clifton L. Johnson, and John Ashford have not filed financial reports with the state.
Below is a look at how each campaign raised and spent its money—and what those choices reveal about Fayetteville’s political landscape heading into November.
Mitch Colvin
Votes: 6,780 (47.62%)
Raised: $72,906 this cycle
Spent: $52,013
Self-financing: $29,600 in loans to himself
PAC/committee support: Yes
Historical fundraising: $260,604 in 2023, $144,767 in 2022
Colvin’s campaign was powered by a tight circle of high-dollar donors and personal loans.
Just over a dozen contributors supplied nearly two-thirds of donor-based funding, including entrepreneur couple Anita and Frederick Surgeon, Fayetteville Public Works executive Timothy Bryant, and South Carolina-based health care executive Greg Bryant.
- PAC/committee support: Nine donations from political groups, including NC Nurses PAC and Planned Parenthood Votes PAC
- Donation tiers:
- 23% were $500 or more
- 43% were $100–$499
- 34% were $99 or less
His largest expense was $10,646 to Reflex Strategy Group, a Richmond-based firm specializing in fundraising and political strategy.
Colvin’s small-dollar donors included retirees, educators, and unemployed residents—suggesting a base rooted in legacy ties and community familiarity.
Kathy Jensen
Votes: 2,576 (18.09%)
Raised: $135,436
Spent: $119,558
Self-financing: None
PAC/committee support: Yes
Jensen raised nearly twice as much as Colvin but earned less than half his vote total. While Mitch Colvin’s campaign is largely financed by a dozen wealthy business owners/executives and self-loans, Kathy Jensen’s top donor base leans heavily on Fayetteville’s property sector. Her top contributors include real estate brokers, developer firms, and construction executives—each representing different facets of the city’s land use and building economy.
From the NC Realtors PAC to individual developers and builders, these donors reflect a coalition of interests tied to growth, zoning, and infrastructure.
Notable donations include $5,175 from Fayetteville-based investor Daniel Terracciano.
- PAC/committee support: NC Realtors PAC
- Donation tiers:
- 37% were $500 or more
- 48% were $100–$499
- 15% were $99 or less
Her largest expense was $63,433 paid to Maven Strategies, a Raleigh-based political consulting firm.
Jensen’s small-dollar donors include a notable number of local business owners, restaurant operators, and physicians—reflecting support from Fayetteville’s entrepreneurial and professional class.
Mario Benavente
Votes: 1,365 (9.59%)
Raised: $33,219
Spent: $30,020
Self-financing: None
PAC/committee support: None
Benavente ran the most grassroots campaign of the top three—no PAC money, no party support, and no personal loans.
An attorney himself, Benavente drew high-dollar support primarily from fellow legal professionals. In contrast, his small-dollar donors skew toward a broad cross-section of Fayetteville’s working class and public service sectors.
The list includes physicians, social workers, teachers, IT professionals, paramedics, and active-duty military members.
Using his campaign funds he invested in local interns, advertising, and voter data services.
Donation tiers:
- 11% were $500 or more
- 40% were $100–$499
- 49% were $99 or less
Notable donation: $5,600 from T. Greg Doucette, a Durham-based senior counsel at GitHub.
Low-budget bids, limited returns
Several lower-polling candidates funded their bids largely through personal loans or small retiree donations. Former council members Tisha Waddell and Paul Williams each self-financed the bulk of their campaigns, while current District 8 Council Member Courtney Banks-McLaughlin and Freddie de la Cruz ran modest operations focused on yard signs, robocalls, and local radio.
Tisha Waddell
Received 999 votes (7.02%)
Raised $20,477 and spent $20,229
- Nearly all funding came from loans: $18,807 from herself and $5,000 from her treasurer
- Only $1,700 came from individual donors, virtually all retirees contributing less than $200
Courtney Banks-McLaughlin
Received 710 votes (4.99%)
Raised $3,070 and spent $2,934
- Loaned herself $727
- Her campaign finance report contains apparent accounting discrepancies. Manual count suggests actual fundraising totaled $3,777. Banks-McLaughlin did not respond to a request from CityView for clarification.
- Most spending went to digital marketing and robocalls—automated phone messages used for voter outreach
Freddie de la Cruz
Received 949 votes or 6.66%
Raised $5,031, with $2,876 self-financed
- Remaining funds came mostly from retirees
- Spending focused on yard signs and radio ads, reflecting a modest, self-funded campaign
Paul A. Williams
Received 739 votes or 5.19%
Raised $27,000—all self-financed through personal loans
- Spent campaign funds on advertisements across newspapers, online platforms, social media, and radio
- Also invested in political signs and billboards, suggesting a visibility-focused strategy without external fundraising
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Daniel Terracciano is a Durham-based investor. Terracciano is based in Fayetteville.
Government reporter Rachel Heimann Mercader can be reached at rheimann@cityviewnc.com.
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