In election year 2000, this meant that the relatively small membership of the Wichita Bar Association soon found themselves being hunted by twenty-one cash starved campaigns. It was brutal. There was no hiding from the fund raisers. Whoever won the battle of the dollars stood a good chance of winning the election. 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.