Lockhart Reports $33,807 On Hand To Peterson’s $7,058 In Fairfax Mayor’s Race

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — A $30,000 donation helped Kirsten Lockhart build a fundraising lead over Thomas D. Peterson in the Fairfax City mayor’s race, although the two candidates reported similar amounts of campaign spending through Aug. 31.

Lockhart’s mayoral campaign committee reported $38,535.80 in contributions during 2026, including $82.80 in donated goods or services. Peterson’s mayoral committee reported $11,303.10, all in monetary contributions, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Virginia Department of Elections.

Lockhart ended August with $33,807.01 on hand, compared with Peterson’s $7,057.65 — a difference of $26,749.36. Her campaign had about 4.8 times as much money remaining.

One Donation Accounts For Most Of Lockhart’s Funding

William Fields, identified in Lockhart’s report as retired with a Fairfax mailing address, contributed $30,000 on Aug. 11. His donation accounted for nearly 78 percent of her campaign’s total contributions since January.

All other contributions combined totaled $8,535.80.

Her next-largest itemized donor was Timothy John Lockhart, who contributed $1,000. James Feather, Fairfax County Supervisor Dalia Palchik and Stephen Sides each contributed a total of $500 during the period covered by the analysis.

Lockhart reported $2,778 in unitemized monetary contributions, for which individual donors were not identified in the reports.

Her fundraising increased during the final reporting period. After reporting $6,070 in contributions through July 23, Lockhart received another $32,465.80 between July 24 and Aug. 31, including Fields’ donation.

Peterson’s Two Largest Donors Gave $2,000 Each

Peterson’s largest donors were William Fournier and William Bruce Jennings, who each contributed $2,000. Fournier was listed as retired, while Jennings was listed as the owner of Fairfax City Self Storage.

Together, their donations accounted for about 35 percent of Peterson’s fundraising.

Steve Chang, Chapman “Chap” Petersen and Steven Stombres each contributed $1,000. Together with Fournier and Jennings, those five donors supplied $7,000, or nearly 62 percent of Peterson’s total contributions.

Petersen’s donation was received July 2, according to the mayoral committee’s July 1-23 report. The filing identifies him as an attorney with Chap Petersen & Associates Law Firm. Chang’s contribution was received July 4, while Stombres’ donation was received Aug. 6.

Rob Lederer contributed another $959.70 on Aug. 6, according to the mayoral committee’s July 24-Aug. 31 report.

The donor list includes former state legislator Petersen and former Fairfax City mayors Lederer and Stombres. Chang is running for a City Council seat in the Nov. 3 election.

Peterson reported $10,259.70 in itemized contributions from 12 named individuals and $1,043.40 in unitemized contributions.

Like Lockhart, Peterson received most of his funding during the latest reporting period. Contributions of $8,078.10 between July 24 and Aug. 31 accounted for about 71 percent of his total.

Spending Totals Were Close, With Different Emphases

Despite the fundraising gap, Lockhart’s cash spending exceeded Peterson’s by $400.54.

Lockhart reported $4,645.99 in cash expenditures during 2026. Including donated goods or services, her reported expenditures totaled $4,728.79. Peterson reported spending $4,245.45.

Printing vendors received $2,470.02 from Lockhart’s campaign, about 53 percent of its cash spending, for items including yard signs, door cards, stickers and banners. Minuteman Press was her largest vendor, receiving $1,757.20.

Lockhart also spent $944.46 on food, catering and ice. Other expenditures included pool sponsorships, a pavilion rental, website and email services, campaign photography, T-shirt materials and yard sign stakes.

Peterson directed about 76 percent of his spending toward printed materials and newspaper advertisements. Executive Press of Virginia received $1,800.45, two print advertisements totaled $1,065, and Printing Ideas received $345.01.

His remaining spending covered website and social media services, email services and a subscription.

By Aug. 31, Peterson had spent about 38 percent of his monetary contributions, compared with about 12 percent for Lockhart. Neither mayoral campaign reported outstanding loans or unpaid debts in its latest filing.

Analysis Covers The Mayoral Campaign Committees

The analysis covers 2026 activity through Aug. 31 for Lockhart for Fairfax, committee number CC-25-00957, and Thomas D Peterson for Mayor, committee number CC-26-00420. It uses Lockhart’s amended reports where applicable.

Peterson’s figures come exclusively from his mayoral committee’s three reports, beginning with the June 12-30 reporting period. His separate Tom4Fairfax City Council campaign committee is not included.

The figures do not include September campaign activity.

Also See ...

• How Four Fairfax Candidates Voted On Taxes, Trails, Housing And Willard-Sherwood
• How Kirsten Lockhart Voted On Seven Fairfax City Projects And Plans
• Tom Peterson’s Fairfax Voting Record: Taxes, Trails, Housing And Willard-Sherwood