Senator Josh Newman
(D-Fullerton)
According to campaign finance reports released last week for 2017, Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) raised over $2 million to fight the recall effort against him but spent $1.5 million, leaving him with cash-on-hand of $555,111 along with $26,255 in unpaid bills and a $60,000 loan, bringing his cash-on-hand down to $468,856. (His five largest expenditures categories were $297,059 on television commercials, $269,671 on campaign consultants, $215,662 on an outside vendor employing precinct walkers, $210,643 on campaign worker salaries, and $72,513 on campaign literature and mailings.)
Another committee, Californians for Better Communities (CBC), run by construction unions, raised $680,000, transferring $250,000 to Newman to get him over $2 million (he raised just under $1.8 million without that transfer) and spent another $213,696, leaving themselves with $215,341 cash-on-hand.
Reform California, the committee founded by former City Councilman Carl De Maio (R-San Diego), raised $827,478 and spent $629,044, with the bulk of it spent on qualifying the recall, primarily on signature gatherers. They have $213,643 cash-on-hand after accounting for $12,251 in unpaid bills.
Another committee, Californians Against Car and Gas Tax Hikes, run by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, raised $127,903 and spent $127,008, leaving $895 cash-on-hand, or $119 after accounting for unpaid bills of $776. They spent most of their funds on signature gatherers.
For visual learners:
| Committee | Contributions | Transfers | Loans | Unpaid Bills |
Expenditures | Cash on Hand (COH) |
COH Minus Unpaid Bills |
COH Minus Unpaid Bills and Loans |
|||
| Newman | $1,786,598 | $250,000 | $60,000 | $26,255 | $1,541,487 | $555,111 | $528,856 | $468,856 | |||
| CBC (pro-Newman) | $680,000 | ($250,000) | $0 | $963 | $213,696 | $216,304 | $215,341 | $215,341 | |||
| Reform CA (pro-recall) | $827,478 | $0 | $0 | $12,251 | $629,044 | $225,894 | $213,643 | $213,643 | |||
| CACGTH (pro-recall) | $127,903 | $0 | $0 | $776 | $127,008 | $895 | $119 | $119 | |||
| Notes: Figures may be off by one dollar due to rounding. | |||||||||||
Only three candidates have initiated any paperwork to run as replacement candidates should Newman be recalled. No Democrat has yet jumped in as a backup candidate for their party in case Newman is recalled. (The 2003 “No on the Recall, Yes on [Cruz] Bustamante” strategy.)
All are holding back on spending, with a combined expenditure total of $9,856 through December 31. The candidates were presumably waiting for the Governor to set the recall election, which he did not do until January 8.
Former Assemblywoman Ling-Ling Chang (R-Diamond Bar) raised $130,300 and loaned her campaign $80,000. She spent a negligible $9,756, leaving her with a cash-on-hand total of $200,544, or once you account for her loan, a cash-on-hand total of $120,544.
City Councilman Bruce Whitaker (R-Fullerton) raised $14,489. He spent a negligible $100, leaving him with a cash-on-hand total of $14,389.
Joshua Ferguson (NPP-Fullerton) has raised and spent no money; he has still yet to file any FPPC paperwork to allow him to raise a penny for Senate. Additionally, while he pulled papers from the Registrar of Voters on January 10, he has not yet submitted any of that paperwork.
For visual learners:
| Candidate | Contributions | Loans | Expenditures | Cash on Hand (COH) |
COH Minus Loans | ||||||
| Ling-Ling Chang (R) | $130,300 | $80,000 | $9,756 | $200,544 | $120,544 | ||||||
| Bruce Whitaker (R) | $14,489 | $0 | $100 | $14,389 | $14,389 | ||||||
| Joshua Ferguson (NPP) | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||||||
| Notes: Figures may be off by one dollar due to rounding. | |||||||||||
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