Maldonado kicks off gubernatorial race in debt

August 2, 2013

Former lieutenant governor Abel Maldonado finished the first half of the year in debt in his bid to become the next governor of California. [Tribune]

The Santa Maria native spent $3,348 more than he raised in the first six months of 2013, according to his filing statement. Maldonado raised $314,222 and spent $317,570. He spent $185,000 on campaign consultants and $48,000 on office expenses over a two-month span.

Governor Jerry Brown is yet to declare his bid for reelection, but he still raised $2.8 million over the same period. Brown only spent $31,526 and ended the filing period with a cash balance of more than $10 million.

Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, who is challenging Maldonado for the party’s nomination, raised $83,148 in the first half of 2013.

Major contributors to Maldonado include Stephen Bechtel Jr., co-owner of the Bechtel Corporation, vice-chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Charles Munger Jr. and former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan.

Large donors to Brown’s reelection campaign include labor unions, oil companies, Indian gambling interests and the film industry. Brown raised more than $100,000 in one day from a group of four Hollywood personalities that included Steven Spielberg.