In the Democratic primary for the Louisville Metro Council District 1 seat, both incumbent Attica Scott and challenger Jessica Green have showcased their ties to the community.A WFPL analysis of the two candidate's finance reports this past quarter, however, shows the vast majority of their funding comes from outside the district covering west and southwest Louisville.If campaign fundraising numbers are any indication, this will be one of the closest local elections.As the incumbent, Scott has raised around $7,300 this year in addition to the $5,500 from her previous campaign, where she easily won a special election two years ago.Finance records filed ahead of the May 20 primary show Green has raised just over $16,000 since filing in late January. According to the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance, Green has outpaced Scott's fundraising efforts by nearly 2-to-1 during that period."I think it shows I'm a viable candidate," says Green. "It's typically very difficult for challengers to raise funds. But I've been blessed to be able to have a broad base of support across the district, across the city and the country who have supported this race."A review of the three zip codes in District 1 shows little of Green or Scott's campaign cash is coming from actual constituents, however.Of the approximate $7,370 Scott has raised from listed individuals and political action committees this year, less than four percent came from the district.Green does a bit better, raising just above $3,450 from donors within the district's three zip codes. But that represents just 25 percent of her haul coming from actual residents.See our breakdown here:"Everybody can't give money, but from people who live here they can walk with me," says Green, adding many constituents are struggling economically. "They can give me their time, their talents or their treasures. Some can do all three and some just pick one, so I'm really excited."Both candidates have also raised money from cash contributions under $50 along with anonymous and un-itemized sources. WFPL did not calculate those funds in this analysis because under state law candidates are not required to list where those donations came from in their finance reports.Finance records shows just over one-third of Green's financial support comes from donors living outside Louisville in states such as Maryland, Texas and New York.About a quarter of Scott's fundraising is outside the city borders from a handful of donors and PACs in Missouri and Washington, D.C.Scott did not return our request for comment.
