Schwarzenegger Best Thing for GOP Since Reagan, Leaders Say

Republicans say a fundraiser headlined by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger next week may bring in up to $2 million and be one of the state party’s biggest paydays since the Ronald Reagan era -- if not the biggest ever.

Schwarzenegger’s election last year marked a turning point for the state party, which for years saw Democrats control the state’s top offices.

The governor’s success has attracted donors who “believe, for the first time in a long time, that the Republican Party can deliver in November,” said Karen Hanretty, a spokeswoman for the state party.

Hanretty said Schwarzenegger “has been able to do more to raise the profile of the California Republican Party -- and raise money for our effort -- than any governor since Ronald Reagan.”

The Governor’s Gala at a West Los Angeles hotel Monday will mark Schwarzenegger’s coming out as the state GOP’s unofficial money magnet.

For $125,000, a donor can be named a “gala chairman” and receive a host of perks in return, from seats at the head table to invitations to events at the national convention in New York this summer.

Schwarzenegger isn’t missing the gold rush. A fundraiser that could pull in as much as $300,000 is being held on his behalf Wednesday at a Yuba City restaurant, with money divided between two of his political committees.

The state party fundraiser is being conducted under a complex set of legal guidelines that allow contributors’ cash to be sprinkled across a web of state GOP activities, sometimes in unlimited amounts.

The funds do not go directly to candidates, but can end up helping in GOP races in a variety of ways, from registering new voters to financing pamphlets that promote Republican causes.

Critics say such dinners provide an opportunity for people who do business or who want to do business with the state to get face time with the governor and other top Republican lawmakers.

“Those people are looking for access,” said Carmen Balber of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, a consumer watchdog group.

Ticket packages for the dinner also include $50,000 for a “gala co-chair” or $25,000 for a “gala vice-chair.” Those packages include tickets to VIP receptions with party leaders, and a special guest, such as a legislator, will be seated at a table purchased by the donor.