Cash on Hand in the last days of a campaign is crucial. There has been a lot of focus on what thedollar figure is in different races.Brad Mitzelfelt writes about the war in the 65th AssemblyDistrict below. (if too lazy to scroll down, click here). A good piece. The reason it caught my attention was the over $200,000 COH that Jim Ayres had.

CRA is supporting another candidate, Brenda Salas. So, I looked at those reports earlier. To me it looks like over $100,000 of Ayres money CAN"T be used in the primary, because it was raised for the general election.

The way campaign finance law works in California, a donor can max out to candidate in the primaryAND the general election. Of course they CAN’T spend it until then. For candidates assured nomination like Poochigian or McPherson it is no big deal, but in a contested primary it is.

Many candidates do this to inflate their fundraising numbers. It isn’t wrong, but when a candidate says they have X amount of money in the bank, you have to… Read More

66th Assembly Candidate Brenda Salas has run a great campaign. For this former Congressman Joe Baca staffer to have re-made herself as a fierce opponent of illegal immigration, considering she was a top aide for “Open Borders Joe” has been a beautiful thing to watch. Picking up the endorsement of former State Senator Dick Mountjoy was frosting on the cake. Salas has even sold herself as a true Reagan Republican which in itself is amazing considering that she is too young to have even been a part of any Reagan campaign. Even more amazing is when she did become politically of age, she made a b-line to be a Democrat, yet she still considers herself a Reaganite. Like I said,hats off to Brenda and her campaign team. It has been an amazing campaign to watch. I think this is too close to call for next Tuesday and may go into absentee ballot overtime

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At my third stop at a Home Depot in Orange County, in a full-scale search for just the right to outdoor lighting for my backyard, I chanced upon FR friend and esteemed political law attorney Dan Reed. Dana was in search of patio furniture.

We talked about the Orange County Sheriff’s race. Dana lamented that he was registered to vote out in Riverside County, and thus could not vote for our great OC Sheriff (my boss) Mike Carona. He also pointed out that he had yet to receive his sample ballot nor his actual ballot. The Riverside Registrar isn’t doing so hot – which Phil Paule has pointed out on this page.

Dana is off to the Firestone retreat soon, to see the sight there. Perhaps he can buy Bob Larkin a sypathy beer – or rather – sypathy Sauvignon Blanc!

Dana found himself a swell patio set, with comfy chairs (I tried one). As for me, well I am off to a fourth HD store. But at least they’ve called ahead and the lighting fixtures I need await me.… Read More

If you know that one, you know what kind of day I’m having.

But.

About that Stanislaus Sups race I wrote about….my sources down there appear to be right. Keating looks like a sho in for the run off, and a recent poll (small N, high MOE) shows Monteith likely to make the run off, but Fisher is still hanging around, some would call him toast, but I don’t write off anybody in a low turnout primary…that’s just me.… Read More

Today we remember those who have fallen in defense of our nation and for the cause of liberty and freedom.

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Where I live in Riverside County is between the two contested Assembly Races so I don’t get much in the way of political mail. However I did get two interesting pieces Saturday. First, I received my ballot, be it a little late for Vote-By-Mail ballots to arrive but at least I did finally receive mine. I guess ranting on the FlashReport about how behind the Riverside County ROV is works. Second I received at 16 page manifesto from 45th Congressional Republican write in campaign candidate John Baker. After reading all 16 pages of this compendium of all conspiracy theories from the internet and how George Bush and Rep. Mary Bono are behind most of them, I have concluded that John Baker is a NUT!! However, he must be a NUT of some financial means, because it appears he sent this campaign mailer deep into the voter file. My suggestion for candidate Baker, next time spend a little money to get your name printed on the ballot, then you could actually see how many votes you lose by.… Read More

Today we remember those who have fallen in defense of our nation and for the cause of liberty and freedom.

Care to read comments, or make your own about today’s Daily Commentary?

Just click here to go to the FR Weblog, where this Commentary has its own blog post, and where you can read and make comments.… Read More

Cash on hand. It’s king right now. And in partisan races, the 3rd house is looking to see who still has the dinero to play in the final few days of the campaign. So I would argue the market drives ‘flubbing’ real COH totals.

Here is a fun game. Find a slate mailer disclosure. Find a candidate who shows a payment. Go back to the candidate’s website and see if the payment is there, or if it is accrued. Hint: in the name of showing more cash on hand there are quite a few that just ‘slipped through the cracks."

Game number 2. Find a candidate. Go back in past records and see how much their political consultant is getting paid every month. Then see if that consultant shows up in the most recent candidate disclosure for April and May. How odd… are consultants suddenly working for free, or did some more bills ‘slip through the cracks."

Bonus game. This requires you be local. Collect each mailing a given candidate mails out before the disclosure due date and pin them to the wall. Look up postage and/or mail house and/or consulting firm payments and see if they match.

Hey, I’ll be the first to admit… Read More