To the lawyers being solicited, this was more than just an expensive inconvenience. Judicial elections are a minefield for lawyers. And people running for office tend to remember things like that. Campaign contributions are reported to the state. Have no doubt that the other candidates will read these reports to see who's giving money to their opponents.
Candidates tend to remember that as well.
Finally, there's the third option, which is to give money to every candidate. So however you respond to the solicitation, there's a good chance that one day you will find yourself looking up at a judge who has reason to think unkindly of you. And for a group of people who earn their living by making appeals to judges, that's not a happy thought. These fundraising efforts continued for many months in Wichita, until election day finally put us out of our misery. The primary elections went about as expected, with the better financed candidates generally coming out on top.