I've been meaning to post on this subject since last week, and it keeps slipping my mind. For months, Todd Spitzer has been button-holing every elected official in sight, attempting to win their endorsement with the inspiring pitch, "I have a million dollars and I'm going to win by 20 points."
I don't believe the latter claim, but the former has become gospel in OC political circles and conversations revolve around how much Rackauckas needs to raise to neutralize that warchest.
Well, apparently not as much as everyone thought. As the Orange County Register reported on Feb. 6, Spitzer's fabled million dollar warchest is down to $436,244. You can see for yourself on the Secretary of State website. During 2005, Spitzer raised $521,672.02 and spent $349,424.60, including $38,608.45 in payments to public affairs consultants Waters & Faubel (long-time Spitzer associates who also worked for Wally Wade's D.A. campaign in 2002).
Spitzer also paid $21,000 to Sergio Prince during a two-month period from late September to late November of 2005. Prince is a veteran of the anti-El Toro airport wars, and was the on-site campaign manager for Bill Campbell's supervisorial race. The report doesn't specify Prince's role other than listing him as a "campaign consultant," but my guess is Prince will be the on-site for Spitzer's D.A. campaign, and Todd is using his state campaign account to tide Sergio Prince over until he sets up a county campaign account.
If any one has any additional information, I'd love to hear it.
UPDATE (2-19-05): Alert commenter CD points out that Spitzer has $515,176.96 in a second committee, Friends of Todd Spitzer (the money must be left over from the previous cycle, because the committee didn't recieve a dime in contributions throughout all of 2004). Thanks for pointing out the error of omission. Now we can go back to conversations about how Rackauckas will neutralize Spitzer's million dollars.
You are wrong here. Spitzer has two accounts. Spitzer SPITZER 2004, FRIENDS OF TODD (ID# 1251355) has $436,244.83 However, SPITZER, FRIENDS OF TODD (ID# 1230742) has $515,176.96
Posted by: CD | February 18, 2005 at 10:47 PM
Opps a third SPITZER 2006, FRIENDS OF TODD (ID# 1272536) with just $1,350.00
Posted by: CD | February 18, 2005 at 11:03 PM
Isn't it illegal for a candidate to have more than one committee at the same time?
Posted by: DC | February 19, 2005 at 11:32 AM
If you look each account is different, there is Friends 2004, friends of and friends 2006
Posted by: cd | February 19, 2005 at 03:56 PM
This guy has a lot of friends.
Posted by: redperegrine | February 21, 2005 at 07:40 AM
Not really! Look at where a lot of the money came from. Those special interests in Sacramento
Posted by: CD | February 21, 2005 at 10:06 AM