Islam Tops TenHaken in Campaign Fundraising, Spending, Billboard Placement

Can Taneeza Islam mount a serious challenge to Republican golden idol Paul TenHaken in the Sioux Falls mayoral election? their relative fundraising over the last couple months suggests she could. First-time candidate Islam raised and spent more money in the last two months than the incumbent mayor:

TenHaken brought in more than $32,000 during the fundraising period, largely from donations including $1,000 from Bill Gassen, president and CEO of Sanford Health, and his wife Jill Gassen. Councilor Marshall Selberg also donated $250 from his own candidate committee to TenHaken.

TenHaken spent more than $8,000 during the period, of which more than half was on advertising. He ends the period with $128,188.50 in his committee.

While Islam’s campaign committee sits at $63,376.88 — less than half of TenHaken’s — she both outraised and outspent him during the fundraising period, bringing in more than $38,000, including a $750 donation from Jolene Loetscher, who TenHaken defeated in the mayoral runoff election in 2018.

Islam spent more than $40,000 throughout the period, including more than $15,000 on video production and more than $10,000 on printing costs [Trevor Mitchell, “Islam Outraises TenHaken, Council Spending Heats up as Sioux Falls Election Nears,” Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 2022.03.04].

Islam’s spending included at least a few hundred dollars to acquire this billboard on Minnesota Avenue, right on top of TenHaken’s campaign HQ in the old Bagel Boy:

We’ll see in March whether TenHaken continues to coast on incumbency and GOP insiderism or if he pours on the cash from his big-money cronies to keep Islam from topping him at the polls on April 12.