Mountjoy Files as Contender for Lt. Governor

Republican state Sen. Richard Mountjoy of Arcadia on Wednesday joined the early rush for the 1998 elections, filing as a GOP contender for lieutenant governor.

Mountjoy, chairman of Pat Buchanan’s California campaign for president this year, submitted documents to the secretary of state that enable him to collect campaign funds for statewide office.

Several other legislators have filed in the past couple of weeks to run for statewide office. Filing before Jan. 1 allows them to spend campaign funds that were collected this year and earlier.

Under the newly enacted Proposition 208, a political reform initiative, candidates for statewide office generally are limited to receiving $500 per donor and are prohibited from raising funds more than a year in advance of the primary.

Mountjoy’s Senate term expires in 1998, but he could decide to seek reelection. Another Republican, Sen. Tim Leslie of Carnelian Bay, also has filed for lieutenant governor.

Mountjoy, a champion of gun owner rights and one of the Legislature’s most conservative members, said his campaign for lieutenant governor would stress economic development issues, including further reform of workers’ compensation insurance.