The race to represent State Senate District 25 has been shaping up to be one of the most hotly-contested in California.
There’s an open seat in the largely-Democratic, ethnically-diverse district that sprawls from Glendale to Rancho Cucamonga with the San Gabriel Valley in between. The current senator, Anthony Portantino, is running to replace Rep. Adam Schiff in the 30th Congressional District.
That’s set the stage for what’s become one of the state’s most expensive and fractious battles. Ahead of the March 5 primary, more than $5 million in campaign contributions and spending by outside groups has flowed into a five-way race with four Democrats and one Republican.
One candidate has dug deep to fund her own campaign: Democrat Yvonne Yiu.
The most recent state fundraising reports show Yiu’s campaign funds total nearly $3.2 million, with $2.9 million — or 92% — coming from her own pocket and the rest from individual contributions.
That makes Yiu, a Monterey Park city council member who used to run her own investment banking firm, the biggest donor to any race in California — surpassing the California Democratic Party and influential unions representing construction workers and correctional officers, as first reported by CalMatters.
“The amount of money that one candidate has used for their own election is pretty astounding even at the state level of politics,” said Sean McMorris, who tracks transparency and accountability in politics for California Common Cause.
Only one other legislative candidate has generated more money. Kathryn Lybarger, who is running for state Senate District 7 in the East Bay, has raised more than $570,000 in…
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