Orange County Register: California gold rush

[question everything]

Saturday, September 18, 2004

Millions in donations have gone to out-of-state candidates this season, perhaps because of few competitive races at home.

By RONALD CAMPBELL
The Orange County Register

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California donors are exporting money because there are so few competitive races at home, campaign-finance expert Bob Stern said. Money that will make little difference in California could make a huge difference in another state.

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That helps explain why $1.5 million in California cash is flooding into South Dakota. The state is home to the nation's hottest Senate contest, pitting Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle against former GOP Congressman John Thune. Thune lost a 2002 Senate race by just 500 votes. Daschle and Thune are the top two out-of-state congressional fund-raisers in California.

Orange County donors gave more money to Thune than they did to their own Republican Senate nominee, Bill Jones. Thune raised $174,000 in Orange County through June 30, Jones just $126,000. Jones has lagged far behind Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer in the polls and in fund raising. One of Thune's biggest backers in Orange County is Mark Johnson, head of Chapin Medical Co. and a leading Republican fund-raiser. He and his wife, Barbara, each gave $4,000, the legal maximum, to Thune. They have given nothing to Jones, whom Johnson described as "a great guy."

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Competition is not the only lure for donors. Ethnic pride is another big draw. Look at Oregon's 1st Congressional District, which stretches from downtown Portland to the Pacific Coast. Dave Wu, the three-term Democratic incumbent, emigrated from Taiwan as a child and is the nation's first Chinese-American congressman. His opponent, Ameri, is trying to become the first Iranian immigrant in Congress. Their immigrant ties have helped Wu and Ameri raise a lot of cash in California. Ameri has raised nearly 38 percent of her money in California. Her opponent has raised 32 percent of his money here.

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http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/09/18/sections/news/focus_in_depth/article_245086.php