Analysis of Statements by Arnold Schwarzenegger

Topic: Fund-raising

Statement: “I didn’t take any money from the unions or from the Indian gaming or anything, any of the interests I would negotiate with when I go up there as governor,” Schwarzenegger said Wednesday on KFI-AM radio. “I take money from [the] little grocery store or the little shoe store or the guy that owns the real estate company or something like that, but most of my contributions, 90% of them, are just from regular people.”

Analysis: A Los Angeles Times analysis of Schwarzenegger’s campaign reports show that 96.1% of his total funds in the governor’s race came from donations of $1,000 or more. Though Schwarzenegger has received numerous small contributions, donations of $1,000 or less amounted to only 3.9% of his campaign funds as of Thursday.

An analysis of the total number of contribution transactions to the actor’s campaign found that 56.1% were for $1,000 or less. The remainder, 43.9%, were transactions of more then $1,000.

The Times analysis does not include $8.5 million that Schwarzenegger has lent or given to his campaign. And contributions by his wife, Maria Shriver, and members of her family are not counted. Under state law, the maximum that anyone other than the candidate can give to a gubernatorial campaign is $21,200. Schwarzenegger had received 176 of those maximum contributions through Thursday. Those donations came from some of the state’s biggest real estate developers, home builders, corporate executives, venture capitalists and car dealers, as well as the Food 4 Less supermarket chain and billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett. Schwarzenegger has a second campaign fund called Total Recall, which advocates a “yes” vote on the recall. Under the law, it is not subject to contribution limits. This fund has received donations -- some upward of $50,000 and more -- from such interests as corporate executives and land developers.

From Times staff writer Jeffrey L. Rabin

Los Angeles Times