Meanwhile, Larkin has paid for a small fleet of election workers to canvass the city, reports show. “This race will have more of a direct impact on (a student’s) life than anything else they will vote for in this election,” Larkin said.

Meadows garnered about 600 more votes than Larkin in the August primary. Both candidates came out roughly 1,000 votes ahead of the other two candidates on the ballot.

Inside Michigan Politics editor and publisher Bill Ballenger said in a campaign, both name recognition and the amount of money a candidate has are important aspects to a campaign, but contributing personal funds to their campaign could be a negative sign.

“Eighty-five percent of the time, the candidate who wins the primary wins in November, … but something indicates he’s in trouble by putting his own money into the race,” Ballenger said.

Meadows said he places more value on going door to door in East Lansing neighborhoods, as opposed to what is spent at the register.

“I don’t think campaign finance reports show much of anything about campaigns,” Meadows said. “They show the level of contributions, but they don’t show what’s happening in neighborhoods.”

In near perfect timing for Meadows, the Michigan Secretary of State’s office also dropped a campaign finance complaint filed against him last Wednesday. Michigan Republican Party Executive Director Kim Jorns filed the complaint after Speaker of the House Jase Bolger, R-Marshall, declared Meadows guilty of violating House rules last year for using a state-funded electronic newsletter to endorse his former chief of staff during her 69th district primary campaign.

Since her competitor is a well-known figure in the community, first-time candidate Larkin is focusing on getting her name out to students and residents in East Lansing.

“I have raised more money from more sources (than Meadows),” Larkin said. “This says I have a broad base of support … I need to raise that money because I’m so much less well known — I started off that way.”