Incumbent Morrissey Leads Correa in Fund-Raising

First-term Assemblyman Jim Morrissey (R-Santa Ana) has run up a large fund-raising edge over his challenger, Democrat Lou Correa, in one of the more closely watched county races this year, according to campaign finance reports filed Wednesday.

Morrissey, an Anaheim tool and die manufacturer who is considered the favorite in the 69th Assembly District race, raised $133,000 from March 10 to June 30, compared with $40,000 for Correa, an Anaheim businessman, according to the reports.

Midyear finance statements from candidates, elected officials, political action committees and major donors must be postmarked by July 31. Some had already been filed as of Wednesday.

Correa acknowledged that he is far behind in raising money but said he is still a serious contender, particularly because Democrats hold a sizable registration edge in the central Orange County district he and Morrissey will contest.

“Things are just beginning to warm up and people are just beginning to pay attention,” Correa said. “[Morrissey] is an incumbent and has the support of a well-organized Republican Party in Orange County. I am not someone who has traditionally been involved in politics.”

In the 67th District, two challengers to Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach) have raised less than $1,000. Baugh was elected last November to replace recalled Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress) but is awaiting trial on charges of election fraud. His campaign finance statement was not available Wednesday.

Democrat Cliff Brightman, 54, a financial planner from Fountain Valley, said he is “actually trying not to raise money.” Fund-raising, said Brightman, “turns politicians into beggars and prostitutes.”

Baugh’s other challenger, Reform Party candidate Donald W. Rowe, said he plans to launch a more serious fund-raising effort in the coming months.

The midyear reports also showed that Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) has amassed a large campaign fund in the months since he assumed the Assembly leadership in January. Pringle raised nearly $295,000 in the March-June period, according to the reports.

Democrat Audrey L. Gibson, 40, a government administrator from Anaheim who is challenging Pringle, estimated she has raised about $6,000.