Modesto Council incumbents outraise challengers five-to-one in November election
UPDATE: State Assemblyman Juan Alanis has not endorsed Joel Campos for City Council as originally and erroneously reported in this story.
The two Modesto City Council incumbents running for re-election have raised five times more money than their three challengers in the Nov. 5 election.
District 1 Councilwoman Rosa Escutia-Braaton has raised the most — $40,003 as of Friday, according to her campaign finance forms filed with the City Clerk’s Office.
She is being challenged by transportation planner Joel Campos and former Councilman and guest teacher John Gunderson. He also is a former Stanislaus Union School District board member.
Campos reported raising $7,686. Gunderson has not reported raising any money and has not filed any campaign finance forms with the city.
Gunderson served on the council from 2011 to 2015 and this is his third campaign to regain his seat. He has run grass-roots campaigns and focuses on walking District 1 and knocking on voters’ doors. The district encompasses northwest Modesto.
District 6 Councilman David Wright reported raising nearly $30,000 as of Friday. That includes $10,000 he loaned to his re-election campaign.
Wright is being challenged by Austin Grant, an emergency preparedness analyst with Stanislaus County and a member of the city’s Equity Commission and Community Police Review Board. Grant has reported raising $6,255. District 6 encompasses northeast Modesto and includes the Village I residential area.
The council candidates’ campaign finance forms can be viewed at public.netfile.com/pub2/Elections.aspx and by clicking on the links for the Nov. 5 election and candidates.
Who’s giving in District 1 race
The contributors to Escutia-Braaton’s campaign include local business and civic leaders and elected officials, but her biggest contribution is $5,500 from the Latino Political Action Committee of Stanislaus County, which also gave $2,000 each to Wright and Grant.
Escutia-Braaton also has received $100 from retired Gallo Center for the Arts CEO Lynn Dickerston, $1,000 from former Memorial Medical Center CEO Gino Patrizio, $200 from Lyons Investment Management CEO Bill Lyons, $2,000 from the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council and $1,289 from the Modesto City Fire Fighters Association.
Councilman Nick Bavarro and Lynn Zwahlen, a dentist and the husband of Mayor Sue Zwahlen, each gave $1,000 to Escutia-Braaton’s re-election campaign.
Her endorsements include the Modesto City Fire Fighters and Modesto Police Officer associations, Mayor Zwahlen, Stanislaus County Supervisor Mani Grewal, former Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, retired Modesto Police Chief Galen Carroll, the Chamber of Commerce and the North Valley Labor Federation, according to her campaign website.
Campos’ campaign contributions include $1,500 from the Stanislaus County Republican Party (Campos serves as the chairman of the local Republicans) and $1,000 from Republican state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil’s 2026 re-election campaign. He also received $2,666 from Merced farmer Bert Crane.
He has been endorsed by Sheriff Jeff Dirkse, county Supervisor Terry Withrow, Riverbank Mayor Richard O’Brien as well as Republican Congressmen John Duarte and Tom McClintock, according to Campos’ campaign website.
Who’s giving in District 6 race
Wright has reported receiving $1,289 from the Modesto City Fire Fighters Association, $500 from the Wildfire Public House, $250 from retired Stanislaus County courts manager Sandra Lucas, $500 from the Stanislaus County Republican Party and $1,000 each from Councilmen Nick Bavaro and Jeremiah Williams, as well as Lynn Zwahlen and Sutter Health’s Patrizio.
The Republican Party of Stanislaus County has endorsed Wright, according to its website.
Besides the $2,000 from the Latino PAC, Grant reported receiving $1,000 from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. He also has received $500 from Kimberly Humke and $100 from Sharon Froba.
Froba is a retired Modesto High English teacher and affordable housing advocate. Humke is the creative production director for Compete Everywhere, a digital marketing firm that supports progressive candidates and causes. She also is married to Councilman Chris Ricci.
The Stanislaus County Democratic Party has endorsed Grant, according to its website.
Ricci is also up for re-election to represent Council District 3 in central Modesto, which includes the college area. But he is running unopposed because no one filed to run against him.
This story was originally published October 7, 2024 at 12:00 PM.
