de Leon struggles against Feinstein in Senate fundraising race

Last edited Mon Apr 16, 2018, 11:48 PM - Edit history (2)

Sacramento Bee:

California Senate President Kevin de León got some much needed momentum for his longshot challenge to Sen. Dianne Feinstein over the winter, winning a string of endorsements from organized labor and denying Feinstein, a fellow Democrat, an endorsement from the state party.

Those victories didn't, however, translate into a fundraising boost, new financial reports show. De León still faces the same massive financial gap against Feinstein that he did at the end of 2017. As of March 31, Feinstein had stockpiled $10.4 million in her campaign bank account, while de León’s campaign reported a total of $672,000 in the bank – a 20-to-1 advantage.

Feinstein, who’s served in the U.S. Senate since 1992, actually increased her cash-on-hand advantage slightly in the first quarter of 2018, from $9.4 million to $9.6 million.

Feinstein raised nearly $1.2 million in the first three months of the year, compared to $672,000 for her challenger. In total, Feinstein has raised more than $12 million for her reelection, although $5 million of that has come from a personal loan. De León has now raised more than $1 million for his bid to oust Feinstein.