Top Dollar, Top Ranking? Not Now

Even as multimillionaire candidates for governor stumble in the polls, they’re shattering spending records, while the two front-runners woo voters entirely with money raised from donors large and small, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday.

Heading into the final week before the June 2 primary election, candidates and initiative promoters raised money at a frenetic pace, buying their way onto television and radio in commercials and into mailboxes in the hopes of swaying the electorate.

All the other candidates’ spending pales when compared to that of former Northwest Airlines co-chairman Al Checchi, who is using his own money exclusively in his quest for the Democratic nomination for governor. Including what he spent last year, Checchi had paid out $35.8 million by May 16, the cutoff for the latest campaign finance report.

Of that sum, Checchi wrote checks totaling $12.5 million to the consulting firm responsible for his television ads in the 10 weeks covered by the latest report. That’s more than Democratic Lt. Gov. Gray Davis and Republican Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren, the two front-runners, have spent on their campaigns all year combined.

Checchi single-handedly broke the record for campaign spending in a gubernatorial primary, $28 million set in 1994. Despite all that money, Checchi was favored by only 10% of the likely voters in a Times poll earlier this week.

Rep. Jane Harman (D-Torrance), supported by 16% of likely voters in that poll, raised $14.2 million and spent $13.8 million through May 16. Most of Harman’s money came from her and her husband, Sidney, founder of Harman International Industries, which makes audio equipment. They loaned the Harman campaign $11.6 million.

Davis, who like Lungren is campaigning entirely with money from donors, has spent $7.2 million since the start of the year, and was favored by 28% of likely voters polled by The Times. Davis failed to deliver his full report to the California secretary of state by Friday.

Lungren, the only major Republican in the primary, raised $4.2 million this year, and spent $4.6 million. The attorney general, who leads each of the Democrats in polls, still has $2.4 million in the bank for the November general election.

Combined, the four candidates have spent about $60 million on the primary. That’s more than twice the old record for a gubernatorial primary, set in 1994 when Gov. Pete Wilson beat Silicon Valley millionaire Ron Unz for the Republican nomination and Kathleen Brown and John Garamendi battled to become the Democratic choice.

Underscoring the national attention the race is attracting, Lungren’s largest donation--$300,000--came from the Republican National Committee. The Republican U.S. Senate Campaign Committee gave him $200,000.

Lungren’s next-largest donation, $50,000, came from Fieldstead & Co., run by Christian financier Howard Ahmanson of Irvine, who has funded many conservative causes and candidates in the 1990s.

Ahmanson remains a major funder of conservative and Republican efforts. Campaign finance reports filed this week show that he gave $75,000 to support Proposition 226, which would restrict labor unions’ political activities--an effort dwarfed by the $15.4 million raised so far by foes of the measure. He also gave $20,000 to back Proposition 227, the measure to end most bilingual education in public schools.

Another recipient of Ahmanson’s money is Chief Deputy Atty. Gen. Dave Stirling, a Republican running to replace Lungren as attorney general. Stirling got $85,600 from Ahmanson, campaign finance reports show.

Among the year’s largest donors statewide are Indian tribes fighting the state and federal government over the right to operate casinos on reservations as they see fit.

Stirling received $384,000 from the tribes, nearly half the $800,000 he has raised for his campaign. Sen. Charles Calderon of Whittier, seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general, took in $350,000 from the tribes, more than 20% of the $1.5 million he has raised.

Stirling’s and Calderon’s opponents criticized them for taking such large sums from a single industry, particularly one involved in a court fight over its future. But Stirling campaign manager Sal Russo said the donations from the gambling interests are a “testament to Dave Stirling’s ability to be fair with people.”

In the campaign for attorney general, Sen. Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward) continues to lead the money race, with $4.1 million.

The latest campaign finance reports cover 10 weeks from early March to May 16. Candidates receiving money after May 16 must make daily reports leading up to the June 2 voting. As much as a fourth of the money for campaigns comes in the closing days.

With polls showing Davis to be the Democratic front-runner, he has raised even greater sums in recent days. The latest contribution reports show that Zenith Insurance, long a major political donor and one that has issues before the Legislature, gave Davis’ campaign $50,000. And Davis got $25,000 from one of the tribes involved in the gambling fight with government authorities.

Harman reported receiving a late contribution of $72,000 from Emily’s List, a group that donates to female candidates.

In addition to the loan she and her husband made to her campaign, Harman raised significant sums from other family members. Her father gave her $450,000.

Harman’s former law firm, Jones, Day, gave her $100,000. A New Jersey firm, Trace International Holdings, also chipped in with $100,000. Marshall Cogan, the chairman of Trace, is a longtime friend of the Harmans, an aide to Cogan said.

The three-term congresswoman picked up $50,000 donations from producer Steven Spielberg, Circuit City stores, Fremont Insurance, San Diego Padres owner John Moores and Jerry Perenchio, majority owner of a Spanish-language television network who earlier gave $100,000 to Davis.