BIG MONEYMayoral candidates have had to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last decade in order to be viable in the city election. The top fundraisers are:• Bob Corker 2001 race: $646,000• Ann Coulter 2005 race: $587,000• Mayor Ron Littlefield 2005 race: $359,000• Mayor Ron Littlefield 2009 race: $202,000Source: Hamilton County Election Commission
If history repeats itself, it will take hundreds of thousands of dollars to even be considered a candidate for Chattanooga mayor.
And state Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, is firing the first shot on fundraising.
“We know we’ll need the resources to compete,” Berke said last week. “We think we’ll be able to do that.”
Election records over the last decade show it has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars to be noticed.