Reports Show Sanchez Was Able to Outspend Dornan

The come-from-behind election victory of Democrat Loretta Sanchez over Republican Congressman Robert K. Dornan was financed by elite Democratic donors, labor unions, women and gay activists, environmentalists, and moderate Republicans, according to reports at the Federal Election Commission.

In all, Sanchez reported total receipts of $797,806 between Jan. 1 and Nov. 25 of this year, compared with the $667,889 raised by Dornan.

Representative-elect Sanchez also outspent Dornan. She reported spending $760,328, compared with $589,447 the congressman listed in his campaign finance form filed in Washington.

Dornan, who recently began a national fund-raising drive to challenge Sanchez’s election victory by claiming voter fraud, reported ending his November election campaign with $100,548 cash on hand and no outstanding debts.

Sanchez had $37,676 in her campaign cash account, but also $46,095 in outstanding debts. Part of the money owed by the Sanchez committee includes loans she made to herself to jump-start her campaign for Congress. She loaned the campaign $120,500 and has repaid herself $96,000.

Dornan did not lend any money to his congressional campaign, although he owes himself about $44,000 for loans he made to his failed 1996 GOP presidential bid. As of Oct. 31, Dornan’s presidential campaign had an outstanding debt of $186,140.

The conservative icon’s list of contributors is similar to previous election efforts in that they are mostly retirees--one identified herself as a “church organist”--who gave in increments of less than $100.

But he also received $5,000 each from the Republican National Committee and the political action committees of Speaker Newt Gingrich and Majority Leader Dick Armey; $2,250 from the National Republican Congressional Committee; and another $4,500 from six GOP congressmen.

Dornan raised $301,477 after mid-October.

But it was not enough to cool the Democratic campaign to unseat Dornan, evidenced by Sanchez’s finance report, which shows her raising $333,556 during the same period.

Some of her big-name contributors in the closing weeks came from Democratic Party circles, including 20 members of Congress, labor unions, women’s groups, prominent Latinos and members of the entertainment community, and some were Republicans.

Last-minute donations came from grocery store magnate Ron Burkle, who is a top fund-raiser for President Clinton; Ambassador March Fong Eu; Ann F. Lewis, who served as the communications director for the Clinton/Gore ’96 campaign; Mission Foods Chief Executive Officer Luis P. Nieto Jr.; and Republican political consultant Eileen Padberg.

Top donors to Sanchez’s election bid from the entertainment community included actor Ed Begley; singer/songwriter Jackson Browne; Dreamworks movie producer Bruce L. Cohen; Playboy founder Hugh M. Hefner; film producer Lawrence Kasdan; Miramax Films producer Jonathan G. King; recording executive Jerome S. Moss; singer/songwriter Graham Nash and his wife, Susan; singer/songwriter Bonnie Raitt; and singer Linda Ronstadt.

The Democratic candidate also received $3,000 from New York financier and philanthropist George Soros and his family members. Soros recently gave $50 million to help immigrants whose benefits will be cut off by the new welfare reform legislation.

Soros’ campaign activities drew notice recently because he also donated $980,000 to successful initiatives in California and Arizona to legalize marijuana for medical treatment.