House incumbents flush with campaign cash

April 16th, 2010, 4:41 pm
by Dena Bunis, Washington Bureau Chief

Orange County’s House members are blowing their primary and general election opponents away when it comes to raising money, according to the campaign finance reports from the first quarter of this year.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who is expected to have the most competitive race among the six incumbent lawmakers, raised more than three times that of her likely opponent in the fall- Assemblyman Van Tran – in the first three months of this year.

Sanchez, D-Santa Ana, raised $259,295 as of March 31 and $968,200, for this campaign cycle in the 47th District. The seven-term incumbent has $1 million cash on hand. Candidates can have more money than they’ve raised because contributions can be carried over from one election to another.

Tran, R-Irvine, raised $85,656 for the first quarter and a total of $527,783 for the campaign. He has $311,699 cash on hand.

Tran has raised more than any other congressional challenger this year.

History shows that it’s been virtually impossible for any challenger who hasn’t raised at least $1 million to defeat an incumbent. Tran has another seven months to meet such a target.

Neither of Tran’s two primary opponents – Tan Nguyen and Katherine Smith – filed a report with the Federal Elections Commission. Such reports are required only if a candidate has raised or spent $5,000.

The lawmaker who continues to have the most in his campaign treasury in the delegation is Rep. Ed Royce. Royce, R-Fullerton, has nearly $2.8 million in his campaign treasury, He has no primary opponent and his Democratic challenger has not filed a financial report.

Royce has not had a competitive re-election race for the 40th District and typically uses the money he raises to help the GOP and Republican candidates.

Two incumbents are facing primary challenges and they too are outsraising their challengers.

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, raised $263,931 so far this year and $1.1 million for this election cycle. He reported having $702,435 in his account.

His primary opponent in the 44th District – Chris Riggs– raised $10,760 this period and $14,733 for the campaign. Riggs has $2,558 cash on hand.

Rep. Gary Miller, R-Diamond Bar, has three primary opponents in the 42nd District but none has raised anything near what he has.

Miler raised $156,083 this period and $369,902 for the cycle. He has $1 million cash on hand.

Of the $18,750 that Lee McGroarty has raised for this campaign, $10,500 is money he put into the race. He had $3,070 cash on hand. David Su has raised $2,151 and reported having $260 cash on hand.

There is a primary in the 46th District where two Democrats are running to face Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Costa Mesa, this fall.

Democrat Ken Arnold has $430 in his campaign treasury, $250 of that is money he’s put into the race. Jay Shah did not file a financial report.

Rohrabacher has $196,305 in his campaign treasury.

In the 48th District, incumbent Rep. John Campbell, R-Irvine, has $1 million cash on hand compared with the $179,676 his Democratic challenger, Beth Krom had as of March 31. Neither has a primary race.

http://totalbuzz.freedomblogging.com/20 ... ash/33943/