Candidates collect the cash

The three major candidates mount last-ditch efforts to increase campaign coffers in days before Tuesday balloting.As families around the 48th Congressional District prepared for turkey dinners last week, candidates for the open U.S. House seat were preparing to count their cash.

In the last several weeks, Republican state Sen. John Campbell, Democratic candidate Steve Young and American Independent Party candidate Jim Gilchrist have all held fundraisers to help pay for that last mailer or ad before the Tuesday election.

A Nov. 14 event in Washington, D.C., headlined by Vice President Dick Cheney, netted more than $125,000 for Campbell, campaign manager Jim Terry said. Gilchrist feted Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo at the Balboa Bay Club on Monday, though campaign officials said totals weren’t available yet.

The numbers also aren’t in yet from Young’s Sunday event with Los Angeles Rep. Maxine Waters, but his campaign is working on a blowout for Saturday that may feature retired Marine Corps Gen. Joseph P. Hoar and other distinguished military guests.

The other two candidates in the special election to fill the vacant 48th District Congressional seat are Libertarian Bruce Cohen and Bea Tiritilli of the Green Party.

The District includes Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Irvine and all or part of nine other coastal and southern Orange County cities.

Those candidates emerged as their parties’ winners from an Oct. 4 primary to replace Christopher Cox, Newport Beach’s congressman for nearly 18 years.

Cox is now chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.