ALPENA — Former Alpena County undersheriff Terry King has raised $12,322 in his bid to unseat his former boss, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday.

Sheriff Steve Kieliszewski is not yet required to file disclosure reports because he just on Jan. 24 filed to run for reelection this year. In past years, he had filed a waiver saying he intended to raise and spend less than $1,000, meaning he was not required to file further disclosure.

King and Kieliszewski will face off in the Republican primary in August.

The race is among the closest-watched in the county after King resigned last year in the face of termination by Kieliszewski, who said he had lost faith in King over several missteps in the Sheriff’s Office. King has sued the sheriff, saying he was wrongfully terminated for being a whistleblower on others’ wrongdoing.

King has spent big on advertising, including on billboards along U.S-23.

King announced his intention to run midway through 2019 and his report states his contributions from July 16 through Friday.

The next time reports are due will be at the end of April.

No other county candidates’ disclosure forms were available Friday. Most candidates file the waivers saying they will raise and spend less than $1,000.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Jim Stamas, R-Midland, who represents Northeast Michigan, received $3,200 in contributions in the last few months of the year, according to disclosure forms available on the Michigan Secretary of State’s website.

Stamas’ largest donation was a $1,000 gift from Marathon Petroleum Corp., according to the records. He also received $500 each from Auto Dealers of Michigan and Exelon Corp., which is a nuclear, wind, solar and natural gas energy company.

Stamas’s committee also received $400 from the Michigan Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and several smaller donations.

At the end of the quarter, Stamas had $23,750 in cash on-hand.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Sue Allor, R-Wolverine, who also represents Northeast Michigan, received $2,000 in contributions in the fourth quarter.

Her largest donors were the Michigan Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the Fighting for Michigan PAC, the Michigan association of Insurance Agents, GM PAC, and the Auto Dealers of Michigan, which each gave $250.

Allor had $5,910 in the bank at the end of the year.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.