Wilson Ahead of Brown in Campaign Cash

As the candidates for governor head for their November showdown, incumbent Pete Wilson holds a decided edge in campaign cash over his Democratic rival, state Treasurer Kathleen Brown.

In a finance statement released Tuesday, the Republican governor’s campaign committee reported having more than $4.7 million on hand at the end of June. That is almost twice the $2.5 million reported by the Brown campaign.

However, the two candidates were collecting contributions at about the same pace--each taking in about $2.8 million in the latest reporting period, between May 22 and June 30.

Both candidates are engaging in the nonstop fund raising that has become standard in high-profile statewide races. Brown has spent more than $9 million in defeating Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi in the primary and in gearing up for the fall. Wilson spent more than $10 million as he defeated businessman Ron Unz for the Republican nomination.

Neither side will say just how much it plans to raise and spend between now and November. But privately there is acknowledgment that each camp probably will raise and spend another $10 million before Election Day.

“The key factor is that we have twice as much money on hand as Brown does,” said George Gorton, Wilson’s campaign manager.

Last year, Gorton said, Wilson had to raise funds to pay off debts acquired in beating back a legal challenge to the redistricting of legislative and congressional districts and to support ballot measures and legislative candidates.

This year, the governor has been raising money faster and spending it more slowly than his Democratic opponent, Gorton said. He predicted that Brown would have trouble keeping pace with the governor’s fund raising because her fellow Democrat, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, is in an unexpectedly tough race to keep her seat against a Republican challenger, businessman Michael Huffington.

While Huffington is using his own fortune to fund most of his campaign, Feinstein is turning to many of the same donors who are being asked to help Brown in the governor’s race.

However, the Brown campaign says it has been matching Wilson’s fund-raising efforts since the June election.

“We had a great three weeks after the primary,” said Brown campaign spokesman Steve Glazer. “We raised $2.5 million in those three weeks.”

Glazer predicted that Brown’s fund-raising pace would accelerate in the three months until the election. “Wilson’s leadership deficit exceeds our temporary cash difference,” Glazer said.

Governor’s Race Fund Raising

In the latest campaign reporting period, May 22 through June 30, Gov. Pete Wilson and Treasurer Kathleen Brown each received about $2.8 million in contributions. But Wilson, the Republican, began the general election campaign season with almost twice as much money on hand as Brown, the Democrat.

Raised Total Raised Cash on Hand This Period to Date* (June 30) Kathleen Brown (D) $2.78 million $11.93 million $2.51 million Pete Wilson (R) $2.85 million $15.13 million $4.71 million

* Figures include amounts transferred from other candidate-controlled committees

Source: Campaign committee reports