Jimmy "PACman" Gomez leads the (PAC) money race in 51st AD Contest

"Jimmy "PACman" Gomez, the undisputed king of PAC/ Special Interest money in the 51st AD Race".

The latest financial filing period has passed as quick as a GPS readout on the latest "meet and greet" location for Riverside (via Echo Park) resident and 51st Assembly District Candidate Jimmy Gomez. Gomez can afford multiple GPS devices for his campaign team as he continues to fill the carpetbags with $$$$ of PAC dollars from various Special Interest groups statewide. The anointed candidate of the LA County Labor Federation has $283,863.70 in cash on hand. This is just less than three times the amount of Luis Lopez.

The Luis Lopez Campaign released the following statement on the latest financial data.

Today the campaign of Luis Lopez for Assembly announced that he had exceeded 800 donors in his fund-raising efforts. A native of his 51st Assembly District, encompassing Northeast Los Angeles and East L.A., Lopez has mobilized a broad base of community support in every district neighborhood. His campaign is tapping into residents' desire for a representative with a proven record of service and commitment to their concerns who will remain responsive to them.

In attracting more than 800 donors, and raising more than $200,000 overall, Lopez showed more than 90 percent of his dollars from individual people. That contrasts sharply with the campaign of rival Jimmy Gomez, which is bought and paid for by Sacramento PACs and special interests. Gomez relied on PACs for more than 50 percent of his funding. He also disclosed fewer than 20 in-district donors. Gomez' lack of backing from people within local neighborhoods highlights his failure to win support in the 51st District since parachuting into the community from Riverside County little more than a year ago. 

Lopez, as part of his success in exceeding 800 individual donors, also announced attaining more than 200 donors from his 51st District communities. Many of them are $25 and $50 contributors.

"In every neighborhood of my district, voters tell me they want a leader who will listen and respond to them and be their fighter in the legislature," said Lopez in conjunction with the announcement. "Distrust at outside interests dominating our campaigns goes hand in hand with dismay at Sacramento. I am not beholden to special interest donors or PACs. My only covenant will be with the voters of my district. And I will work hard to represent and get results for them." 

Arturo Chavez at Lincoln Heights Holiday Parade.

For Assemblyman Gil Cedillo District Director and Candidate Arturo Chavez, the haste to make up for campaign money embezzled by Democratic Treasurer Kinde Durkee, paid off in $50,000+ in contributions within the last three months. Despite the monetary gap, the Chavez Campaign can be buoyed by the fact that an AFSCME Poll commissioned on the behalf of the Gomez Campaign had Chavez in first place. Thus, the Chavez Campaign best hope to offset the Gomez Campaign's PAC advantage is his strong ties to Assemblyman Cedillo and the community.

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Scot Johnson in CD 14