Knapp and Shopland Lead Latest Spending in Frederick County Council Races

Campaign money is giving Frederick County voters another view of the council races, with Renee Knapp and Jamie Shopland reporting the highest spending during the latest reporting period, according to The Frederick News-Post.

The reports cover Aug. 19 through Oct. 18. They offer a snapshot of campaign activity before voters choose five district representatives and two at-large members on Nov. 3.

Knapp, the Democratic incumbent running at large, spent $19,602 during the period. Most of that amount was a payment of $18,076 to Manning Media. She raised $3,517 and finished the reporting period with $1,993 available.

Shopland, the Democratic candidate in District 2, spent $18,013 and raised $22,926, the highest fundraising total among the 14 candidates for the period. Her campaign finished with $11,851. Printing and mailers accounted for major expenses.

Shopland told the newspaper that most of her donations came from individuals and credited conversations with residents for building support. Her contributors also included the Maryland State Education Association, which gave $3,000, and the Maryland Realtors PAC, which gave $2,000.

Her Republican opponent, Dan Iampieri, raised $21,075 while spending $2,011. He ended the period with $20,750. His largest reported contributions for the period were $6,000 from Frey Agricultural Products Inc. and $5,000 from James McKeever. The Realtors PAC also gave Iampieri $2,000 during the period.

The largest reported ending balances belonged to two other candidates: Republican District 5 incumbent Mason Carter had $35,978, and Democratic District 4 incumbent Kavonté Duckett had $25,115. Those balances describe money on hand at the reporting cutoff, rather than money raised during that period alone.

In District 1, Democrat Louisa Conklin raised $12,495 and spent $9,258. The News-Post reported that Republican Frank Hollewa’s latest filing was not visible in the state system when the newspaper checked. Hollewa disputed that account, saying he had submitted his required report and received confirmation. The article did not resolve that discrepancy.

The figures show how campaigns funded advertising, printing and outreach in the closing stretch. They do not measure voter support or predict the election’s outcome.