3 raise $300,000 in state office runs

Paul Clinton

Three candidates vying for state offices banked more than $300,000 in

contributions for the first half of the year. Two of them, Assembly

hopefuls, out-raised a state Senate candidate, they reported.

Candidates for state office, under the state’s campaign finance

laws, must disclose any contribution of $50,000 or more

electronically. Contributions of $1,000 or more must be filed

manually.

All dollars received or spent in the six months ending June 30

needed to be reported by July 31.

Assemblyman John Campbell, who is squaring off against Assemblyman

Ken Maddox in the state Senate’s 35th District, set the high-water

mark for the first six months of the year by raising $504,741, he

reported in a filing with the Orange County Registrar’s office.

Campbell, who holds $501,068 in his campaign treasury, collected

more than two dollars for every one of Maddox’s.

Maddox raised $185,607 and holds $250,934 in his treasury.

“Obviously, what the campaign money allows you to do is get your

message out to the people,” Campbell said. “I expect that 2-1 lead to

grow.”

Maddox, who returned from a two-week Army National Guard stint on

Tuesday, said he isn’t worried about the money gap. Maddox has

accepted the state’s campaign contribution limit of $600,000 for the

seat.

The limits were put in place during the 2002 election cycle.

Maddox has called Campbell a “country club Republican.”

“We’re actually fairly close in money raised, except for that he

wrote himself a $100,000 check,” Maddox said.

Campbell did give himself $100,000, said Chris Wysocki, Campbell’s

campaign spokesman.

“That’s kind of like saying New York is fairly close to Los

Angeles,” Wysocki said of Maddox’s claim that the candidates are

close in contributions. “Ken Maddox’s perception may be a bit off.”

In the race for the Assembly’s 70th District seat, Anaheim

businesswoman and Corona del Mar resident Cristi Cristich led the way

with $331,819 raised. She holds $263,220 in her war chest.

Chuck DeVore, an Irvine resident who works for a Newport Beach

aerospace services firm, raised $145,250; he had $122,026 in his bank

account.

Former Newport Beach City Council candidate Marianne Zippi

reported $70,658 in contributions and $64,521 in on-hand cash.

“As you can see, I’m at a 10-1 margin over Marianne and a 5-1

margin over Chuck,” Cristich said. “I would say that’s a pretty large

statement.”

Cristich has been an aggressive fund-raiser in the past few

months.

DeVore didn’t return calls seeking comment, but his campaign

spokesman issued a statement about the reports.

“Republican donors are beginning to rally around Chuck DeVore,”

spokesman Sergio Prince said.

Cristich and Van Tran, who is running to replace Maddox in the

Assembly’s 68th District, raised more money than Maddox during the

period.

Van Tran, an attorney and Garden Grove councilman, raised $338,497

and holds $301,905.

Tran is running against colleague Mark Leyes, who didn’t file a

report.

“Mark Leyes has been running for over two years and he’s barely

blipping on the radar screen,” Tran spokesman Jimmy Camp said.

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment, business and politics. He

may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

[email protected].