Greg Cates, left, and Mark Dahlquist | Courtesy photos POCATELLO – Between the two of them, more than $44,000 has been contributed to Pocatello’s two mayoral candidates. Mark Dahlquist and Greg Cates are campaigning ahead of the Dec. 2 run-off election. In November, with seven mayoral candidates, Dahlquist got 40% of the vote, and Cates got 31%. Click here to see the results. With Election Day fast approaching, EastIdahoNews.com took a look at both candidates’ contributions and expenditures. RELATED | Here’s who is donating to Jeff Alldridge and Lisa Burtenshaw in the Idaho Falls mayoral runoff The vast majority of both candidates’ funding has come from in-state sources, and neither of them has received any loans for their campaigns. Information on VoteIdaho.gov’s campaign finance system shows which candidate has raised the most, where the donations come from, and how each candidate has spent their money. It should be noted that not all money used to support a candidate is contributed to a campaign. Locals, businesses, and political organizations can buy advertising for or against candidates using their own money or resources. This article focuses on the money received and used by campaigns. RELATED | Part 1: Here are three of the seven candidates running for Mayor of Pocatello Mark Dahlquist In total, Dahlquist has received $22,310 in the 2025 election cycle. So far, his expenditures come out to $17,941. Dahlquist told EastIdahoNews.com that the people who have contributed to his campaign have done so because of his platform and his leadership skills. “I’ve been amazed by the outpouring of financial support by so many sectors of our community. My donors have told me that I’m running for all of the right reasons — for my love of community and my passion to move Pocatello in the right direction,” Dahlquist said. The majority of Dahlquist’s donations have come from individual donors, at $16,898. He has put $1,012 of his own money towards his campaign. Dahlquist has received $2,400 from sources categorized as “political committee”, with $1,000 each coming from the Pocatello Firefighters PAC and the Pocatello Labor PAC, which represents the Pocatello Fire Department and the Pocatello Central Labor Union and $400 from the Conservation Voters for Idaho Action Fund. The candidate also received $1,000 categorized as “company,” from Way Back PAC, which is an organization that supports candidates who work to solve “issues facing their communities instead of national party priorities,” according to its website. Dahlquist also received $1,000 from the Bannock County Democratic Central Committee, but he said he’s been a registered independent voter his whole life and remains unaffiliated with either party. He spoke to the nonpartisan nature of this race, and pointed out that he has a number of registered Republicans donating to his campaign as well. “(The Bannock County Democrats) appreciated my platform. … This is a nonpartisan race, and that’s how I’m looking at it,” Dahlquist said. Dahlquist’s only other contributions categorized as out-of-state are seven individual donations from “friends and family,” totalling $1,395. The majority of Dahlquist’s expenditures, around 50% have gone towards physical campaign materials. The next highest type of expenditure is in management services. Dahlquist’s top vendor is 208 Strategies, the Idaho-based campaign management firm running his campaign. “The campaign organization that’s helping me out, their director is raised in Pocatello, a Highland (High School) graduate, an Idaho State University graduate. That company is based right here in Pocatello, (and) that was a highly important thing for me,” Dahlquist said. Although Dahlquist said his team does the administrative work of running his campaign, he said that they don’t determine his messaging. “(They freed) up my time to go out and do what is most important … and that truly has been talking to people,” Dahlquist said. Greg Cates In total, Cates has received $21,901 in the 2025 election cycle. So far, his expenditures come out to $18,935. Cates told EastIdahoNews.com that the people who contributed to his campaign did so because they believe in him, and they believe he would be a good mayor for the city. “Campaigning is a very expensive thing to do. We have to reach a lot of people, and there’s a lot of … marketing to do in the process, and I just want to say thanks to everyone who supported me and thought that would be a good mayor for the city of Pocatello,” Cates said. The majority of Cates’ funding has come from individual donations, at $21,265. Cates has not made an individual contribution to his campaign. Cates has received $1,635 in “company” funding, with $1,000 coming from Maple Street Sit N Sleep. Another $500 came from a contributor identified as “MRLAMC LLC,” which, according to the Idaho Secretary of State’s website, refers to an LLC with Lisa A McAteer as the registered agent. One of Cates’ top individual donors is Craig Yadon, the chairman of the Bannock County GOP and pastor of Christ Church in Pocatello, who has contributed $2,000 to his campaign. Yadon’s wife, Mariya Yadon, also donated $1,000 to Cates’ campaign. Cates has received funding from a number of Bannock County GOP members, including Youth Committeeman Jake Stevens and John Crowder, a current precinct committeeman and former Bannock County commissioner. And while Cates is a registered Republican and precinct committeeman, he said that he won’t be a mayor who only represents a “Republican mindset.” “Everyone’s garbage gets taken out. Everyone’s water is going to turn on when you turn the faucet on, everyone one drives the same roads. We it’s all the same taxpayer money pool. We all want good services and public safety,” Cates said. One of Cates’ donations categorized as out of state is a refund from Amazon, and the other is a donation from Barbara Magin for $1,000. Although Magin lives in Pocatello in the Standrod Mansion, she made her donation through a trust with an out-of-state address. Out of Cates’ expenditures, about 54% has gone toward campaign advertising materials, while 17% has gone towards event expenses and 16% to broadcast advertising. Cates did not hire a campaign manager, which he said was because he “wanted to have control of my own campaign and make sure that every answer to the community is an answer straight from myself and not somebody else.” Go to VoteIdaho for information on where to vote and how to register.The post Here’s who is donating to Mark Dahlquist and Greg Cates in the Pocatello mayoral runoff appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com