Monterey mayoral challenger Vince Malfitano has outraised incumbent Mayor Tyller Williamson by nearly 40%, according to an updated campaign finance filing.
Year-to-date totals for 2026 show Malfitano's campaign has raised $38,725, compared to $27,863 for Williamson, ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
The reversal came in a Monday, Sept. 28, filing that reported $15,329 in new contributions to Malfitano's campaign between July 1 and Sept. 19, as first reported by Monterey County NOW. That filing replaced one submitted Thursday, Sept. 24, that had reported zero contributions and zero expenditures for the same period.
The earlier filing drew scrutiny because Malfitano's campaign paid Sept. 8 for a political advertisement in Monterey County Weekly, an expenditure that did not appear on the Thursday, Sept. 24, disclosure.
Through mid-year, Williamson held the fundraising lead at $27,863 to Malfitano's $23,396. Malfitano's first-half haul came from about 70 donors giving between roughly $100 and $600. His campaign spent about $8,500 in that period, including a $2,000 payment to Political Data Inc. and payments for printing campaign materials.
Williamson's disclosure, filed Wednesday, Sept. 23, covers Jan. 1 through Sept. 19. His campaign drew contributions from about 60 individual donors, also in the $100-to-$600 range. Williamson's campaign reported about $9,000 in expenditures year-to-date, with the largest going to Community Printers at roughly $4,500 and about $1,100 to Monterey County Weekly for an advertisement.
The Monterey County candidate list identifies Williamson as the incumbent mayor and Malfitano as a retired business owner.
They are the only two candidates on the ballot.
Campaign finance disclosures for both candidates are publicly available through the city's NetFile portal.
