Both the California Democratic and Republican parties are spending heavily with hopes of influencing Tuesday’s outcome in the 65th Assembly district race between first-term Democratic incumbent Sharon Quirk-Silva and her Republican opponent Young Kim.
Kim, a former long-time aide to Rep. Ed Royce (R-47), won the primary in June with nearly 55 percent of the vote, a ten-point lead on Quirk-Silva, whose upset victory over Chris Norby in 2012 shocked many who considered the district a safe Republican stronghold.
With the fate of their supermajority in the Assembly on the line, state Democrats are pulling out all the stops. Last month, Gov. Jerry Brown stumped for Quirk-Silva and fellow Democrat Jose Solorio, who is running for the State Senate, during a visit to the planned veterans’ Cemetery in Irvine.
Quirk-Silva has raised $2,238,970 since the start of the year, with $965,000 of that cash coming from the state Democratic Party just during the month of October, according to the latest data from the Secretary of State’s office. State Democrats have spent at least $525,358 in other contributions in support of Quirk-Silva.
Quirk-Silva’s contributors include police, fire, public employee and other unions in Orange County and across the state; the OC Business Council BIZPAC; California League of Conservation Voters; Motion Picture Association of America; and California Latino Caucus Leadership PAC.
Kim meanwhile has raised $1,556,146 in direct money contributions, according to state data.
She has received at least $365,389 in cash from the state Republican Party; $75,000 from the San Luis Obispo County Central Committee; and $400,132 in other spending by the state party in support of her campaign.
In addition to strong grassroots support among Korean Americans, Kim’s campaign forms show contributions from Republican clubs and politicians up and down the state.
Some of her contributors include: Lincoln Club of Orange County State PAC; Little Saigon developer Frank Jao; the Republican Club of Laguna Woods; Sacramento Valley Lincoln Club; California Women’s Leadership Club PAC; former gubernatorial candidate and Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman; and Charles Munger Jr., son of the billionaire and GOP supporter Charles Munger.
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