Wake County school board member Christine Kushner raised more than $50,000 in her bid to win the District 6 seat.

In her final 2011 report filed Wednesday, Kushner reported raising $51,343.47 and spending $37,123.21. This leaves the Democrat with $14,220.26 that she can use to donate to other groups or to prepare for a future campaign run.

Her main opponent, Republican Donna Williams, raised $48.335.96.

Wake County school board candidate Donna Williams raised close to $50,000 in her unsuccessful bid to win the District 6 seat.

In her final 2011 campaign finance report filed earlier this month, Williams reported raising $48,335.96. The Republican spent all the money and closed out the campaign committee.

Her main Democratic opponent, Christine Kushner, raised $51,343.47 and spent $37,123.21 to easily win the Raleigh seat. Combined, Williams and Kushner spent nearly $100,000.

Tuesday's District 3 runoff election between Wake County school board member Kevin Hill and challenger Heather Losurdo pits two very different candidates with differing life experiences and views.

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, Hill is the long-time Raleigh resident and career educator who has made some decisions that he feels are data-driven even when they've been unpopular with constituents.

As noted in today's article, Losurdo is the relative newcomer who had a challenging childhood and early adulthood that she says has helped shaped her into a better person.

Civitas Action has reported spending $19,331.73 through Oct. 24 in campaign literature and robocalls to help Republican candidates for the Wake County school board.

A new report filed Monday shows that the conservative group reported spending $13,267.74 on mailers between Oct. 1-24 helping Heather Losurdo, Ron Margiotta and Donna Williams. That money also including paying for the robocall asking people to complain to Susan Evans.

This comes after a prior report showed the group had spent $6,063.99 in September. The final total from Civitas Action will likely rise above $20,000 since it doesn't include last-minute actions such as the robocall recently done attacking Kevin Hill.

But Civitas Action will more than likely fall well behind the money spent by groups such as Common Sense Matters and the other 501 and 527 groups helping the Democratic school board candidates.

Local Democrats are pulling out all the stops to help Wake County school board member Kevin Hill defeat Heather Losurdo in the runoff election.

As noted in today's article, you've got groups like Common Sense Matters hiring The Strategy Group, a Washington political consulting firm, to develop mailers attacking Losurdo. Past clients for this firm include President Barack Obama, former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and current Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

You've also got the Wake County Democratic Party mounting, for them, an unprecedented field operation in an off-year election.

The Tea Party is standing by Wake County school board candidate Heather Losurdo even as her critics try to use her ties with the populist movement against her.

Triangle Conservatives Unite!, which Tea Party Patriots calls the Raleigh Tea Party, is holding an event on Oct. 30 at the state GOP headquarters to help Losurdo. The group is also cross-posting Losurdo's call for volunteers to attend meetings this week to help organize for the run-off election.

School board candidate Donna Williams, who lost last week, is helping coordinate Losurdo's volunteer efforts.

Various Democratic-leaning 501 and 527 groups sent mailers and set up a website attacking Losurdo for her connections to the Tea Party. You've also got that Public Policy Polling memo indicating that Republicans can be vulnerable to Tea Party attacks.

UPDATE

See this blog post where Losurdo says Triangle Conservaties Unite! is not holding an event for her.

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison has been stumping for school board candidate Donna Williams in this 60-second spot appearing on radio stations.

The ad stresses Williams' professional background, her time as a school volunteer and her support for neighborhood schools. Williams also says she "will work to ensure fair distribution of academic programs for all students," which basically means looking at the magnet/non-magnet divide.

Here's the text of the ad:

Civitas Action is using the issue of school choice to try to get voters to back Wake County school board candidates Heather Losurdo, Ron Margiotta, and Donna Williams.

In these mailers now hitting mailboxes, the conservative action arm of the Civitas Institute says each of the three GOP candidates "believes parents know best — give them choices."

"Heather Losurdo believes parents know what's best for their children — that is why she support empowering them to make sound education decisions for their families," says the mailer. "Heather wants people to have the option to send their children to neighborhood schools, other choice schools or charter schools because finding the right environment for learning can make all the difference in a child's future."

The mailer then lists a phone number you can call to thank the candidate "for supporting more choices for parents in Wake County." The wording on the mailers is identical. Just swap in the name of the particular candidate for that district.

Civitas Action is using the issue of teacher merit pay/performance pay to try to get voters to back Wake County school board candidates Heather Losurdo, Ron Margiotta, and Donna Williams.

In these mailers sent last week, the conservative action arm of the Civitas Institute says the three GOP candidates have "a plan for our best teachers. Support excellence!"

"Donna Williams knows that the best way to retain and attract the best teachers is to reward them for their contributions to the educational development of our children," says the mailer. "Donna believes we need to compensate the best teachers at a higher rate so we can keep them in the classroom."

Supporters of Wake County school board candidate Susan Evans are not happy about this robocall being made by Civitas Action.

The audio uses remarks that Evans made at a school board meeting in which she said that Western Wake students who go to neighborhood schools have "a narrow view of the world" compared to magnet students. Civitas Action asks people to call Evans "and tell her that we are not 'Narrow Minded' and can decide for ourselves where our children go to school."

It looks like some people have done just that and called Evans. Her answering machine no longer picks up.