Republican Scott Baugh for the third straight quarter has reported a fundraising edge over Democrats in California’s 47th congressional district, according to reports posted this week with the Federal Election Commission.
In the third quarter of fundraising, which spans from July 1 to Sept. 30, Baugh raised $417,715 and spent $48,555.
The race features a crowded slate of candidates, among them Baugh, Democratic state Sen. Dave Min, Republican businessman Max Ukropina and Democratic community organizer Joanna Weiss.
Min raised $311,196 in the third quarter.
And in that same period, Weiss brought in $400,049, including the $100,000 she loaned her campaign. She loaned her campaign $95,000 in the second quarter as well.
Ukropina, who entered the race in April, brought in $121,218 during the third quarter, personally contributing a little over $2,000.
Breaking down the numbers
Like Baugh’s, the three other leading campaigns in the race for Rep. Katie Porter’s open congressional district have all hit a mid-campaign lull, according to the latest campaign finance reports.
A money slowdown at this stage of the election cycle is not all that surprising, said Dan Schnur, who teaches political messaging at UC Berkeley and USC.
“Most campaigns start out with a burst of energy and enthusiasm as candidates reach out to their closest friends and past supporters,” Schnur said. “The third quarter can often be the in-between period after the candidate has already picked the low-hanging fruit but before the campaign is more visible as the election gets closer.”
The coastal CA-47 — which includes Irvine, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach — is one of 33 Republican-held or open seats in the country that the national Democratic Party’s campaign arm is eyeing as a “critical battleground” to win a House majority. And Republicans, too, see the seat as a “top target” to pick up in 2024.
Porter launched a 2024 bid for the U.S. Senate…
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