Dornan Has 2-1 Edge in Funds for Vote Battle

Former Congressman Robert K. Dornan has a nearly 2-to-1 fund-raising edge over Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) in his two-pronged attack to have the House of Representatives set aside Sanchez’s victory and to wage a new election if he is successful, according to figures released by both sides.

Dornan’s collection plate since the November election totals $140,000 so far: $40,000 for his pending election appeal before the House--in which he claims voter fraud caused him to lose the last election--and $100,000 for what he hopes will be a special election to win back the central Orange County seat, said Robin Griffin, Dornan’s daughter.

Sanchez, meanwhile, has taken in about $75,000: $50,000 to fight Dornan’s request before the House for a new election, and about $25,000 to help retire Sanchez’s $35,813 campaign debt, said John Shallman, Sanchez’s political consultant.

The sources of the $90,000 raised so far by both sides for the recount and appeal of the last election do not have to be publicly disclosed, according to federal law. Dornan estimates he will spend about $200,000 on his election appeal; Sanchez is planning on $100,000, according to their spokesmen.

Dornan lost to Sanchez by 984 votes last November in one of the biggest political upsets in years.

Aside from what both candidates will spend, the House Oversight Committee has budgeted $320,000 for contested elections this year.

House Democrats have criticized the $320,000 expense as a “waste” of taxpayer funds to investigate Dornan’s claim to the seat.

But on Wednesday, as the committee reviewed its budget, Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Bakersfield) defended the expenditure.

Thomas said the entire amount may not be spent just on the Dornan case, but also on other contests that may arise from special congressional elections to be held later this year. Two special elections, and possibly a third, are expected in largely Latino districts in New Mexico, New York and Texas.

In what has shaped up to be a highly partisan battle over the Orange County congressional seat--captured by a Democrat last November for the first time in 12 years--neither the Dornan nor Sanchez forces are volunteering to disclose the sources of funding for the election appeal.

A loophole in the federal campaign financial disclosure laws does not require either side to report how much money is being raised or spent for the vote recount and election contest, nor to provide the names of contributors.

Money raised for the actual congressional campaign committees, however, must be reported, with the next disclosure statement due in July.

While the financial disclosure laws limit to $5,000 contributions from political action committees and to $1,000 contributions from individuals in each election, no such limits exist for recounts or costs related to contested elections, according to the Federal Election Commission.

The only prohibitions are that the candidates cannot receive money from financial institutions, corporations or labor unions.

“My feeling is this is a case that cries out for public disclosure,” said Kent Cooper, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. “Is there someone gaining favor now [through unlimited contributions] who is going to be close to the candidate and who the candidate is going to be indebted to?”

Cooper added that voters will wonder who are the donors, “and I think voters have every right to know, and the candidates should feel very comfortable disclosing all the sources.”

Spokesmen for Dornan and Sanchez said that traditional campaign sources have been tapped for the battle in the House.

Griffin said Dornan has employed the “same home-grown Dornan direct mail fund-raising we always have used,” augmented by advertisements in “select conservative publications” such as the Washington Times.

The former congressman also has received about $12,000 of a $30,000 pledge from the Lincoln Club of Orange County, said Michael Schroeder, an attorney for Dornan and chairman of the state Republican Party. Schroeder declined to name any of the other large donors.

Neither House Republicans nor Democrats have organized fund-raising efforts for their respective candidates, Capitol Hill staffers said.

On the Democratic side, Sanchez has hired a fund-raising firm to contact pro-Democratic political action committees such as those supporting the environment, labor groups, and women’s and gay rights organizations.

For example, the Human Rights Campaign Fund, a gay and lesbian lobbying group based in Washington, recently sponsored a fund-raiser for Sanchez that netted about $16,000, spokesman David M. Smith said. The group’s political action committee also gave $3,000 to help retire Sanchez’s debt from the November election.

Apart from the funds raised for the recount and contested election appeal, Dornan clearly has the advantage over Sanchez for any future congressional campaign.

Dornan ended the November campaign with $113,632 in the bank, compared to Sanchez’s debt of $35,813, including $19,000 she loaned to her campaign, according to the last reports on file with the Federal Election Commission.

Since then, Dornan has been the more aggressive fund-raiser, according to the figures provided by both camps.