Signs continue to indicate that we could have a competitive November race for the Assembly seat being vacated by Van Tran, although there’s plenty of time for that to change.
Front runner Allan Mansoor, the conservative anti-illegal immigration mayor of Costa Mesa, is showing $191,000 raised in his year-end campaign-finance disclosures, including $100,000 he loaned the campaign. The Republican had $136,000 left, according to documents filed this week.
But Democrat Phu Nguyen is giving indications that he’ll make it competitive. While he lacks the name recognition of Mansoor, he’ll provide a clear alternative and he’s showing indications of being able to come up with campaign funds.
Nguyen did no fundraising last year, but lent his campaign $100,000 - and had $99,000 left at year’s end. On Jan. 29, he held his first big fundraiser, which attracted an impressive lineup of elected officials and which, I’m told, raised tens of thousands of dollars. Read the rest of this entry »