Melisaa Hise is challenging Ralph Van Pelt Jr. for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Superior Court judge. She works in the Pamour Law Firm in Summerville.Incumbent Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Ralph Van Pelt Jr. has raised twice as much as his opponent, Melissa Hise.
From October through March, campaign contribution reports show, Van Pelt received about $86,000. Since announcing her candidacy in January, Hise has raised $43,000.
Contested judicial races are rare in the area. The last one occurred in 2008, when Judge Ralph Hill stepped down. That race's winner, Brian House, raised about $33,000 - including $13,000 of his own money. The runner-up, Larry Stagg, raised about $35,000. Another challenger, Chris Arnt, raised about $33,000.
There still are almost two months left in the race between Van Pelt and Hise, who will face each other May 22. The seat is nonpartisan.
Van Pelt's fundraising comes from a total of 105 candidates. That does not include a $5,000 donation he gave to himself. Some of his money has come through a pair of fundraisers - one hosted by state Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, in January, another hosted by the Davis & Hoss law firm in February.
Davis, a Democrat, said he hosted the event because he has worked with Van Pelt since the two were prosecutors. Van Pelt was the district attorney in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit while Davis worked as a prosecutor in Hamilton County. Davis has also practiced before Van Pelt.
"We've always found him to be open minded," said Davis, who added that Republicans also attended the fundraiser. "He's the type of career public servant we want to applaud."
AAAA Bonding, ABC Bonding and Catoosa County Bonding donated to Van Pelt. So did some people who do not regularly work in the courthouse. But by and large, most of his donations came from attorneys who practice in front of him.
"That's allowed in the state, and people are used to it," Van Pelt said. " It's pretty common that both sides have given me money, from the DA in Rome [Leigh Patterson] to lawyers in Chattanooga to lawyers in Dalton."
Hise told the Times Free Press she did not have time for a phone interview Friday. In a statement, she said, "We are humbled by the amount of donations we've received both in time and capital. The momentum our campaign has is nothing short of remarkable."
Of the $43,000 she has raised through March, about half has come from people tied to Summerville attorney Bobby Lee Cook. In October 2016, Van Pelt unsuccessfully tried to maneuver for the circuit's chief judge role over Judge Kristina Cook Graham, who has sat on the bench longer than him. Van Pelt wrote a letter, accusing her of berating courthouse employees.
Cook wrote a letter back to Van Pelt, expressing a desire for someone to run against him - "a blood sport," Cook called it. After Hise declared she was running for office, Cook donated $2,600 to her campaign, the maximum amount the state allows from a single contributor.
In addition to Cook, eight other people with ties to his family - from his son-in-law to his grandchildren - have donated to Hise, including money coming from Texas and Virginia. In total, Cook and the eight others have donated $23,000. Rex Abernathy, Cook's law partner, has donated $2,600.
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.