Major outside money flowing into San Diego County supervisor race
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A sampling of recent campaign mail for the April 8 county supervisor special election. Photo: Andy Keatts/Axios
Outside cash is dominating the special election for a new county supervisor in the South Bay.
Why it matters: Campaign finance rules limit contributions directly to candidates, but supporters can form independent committees that aren't subject to those same limitations.
State of play: Independent committees involved in the special election for a new District 1 county supervisor have raised more than five times as much as the campaigns directly controlled by candidates.
- As of Friday, those groups had raised at least $2.2 million.
- Meanwhile, the campaigns controlled by the seven candidates have combined to raise under $400,000 ahead of the April 8 primary election.
Zoom in: Liuna Local 89, a local construction union, is the major donor to a committee supporting San Diego Councilmember Vivian Moreno that has raised $723,000 so far.
- The group also controls a second IE dedicated to opposing Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre's campaign, and it has collected another $346,000.
Moreno also has backing from a committee controlled by a union for city of San Diego workers that has raised $269,000.
- A group called Community Voices has brought in at least $136,000, from developers and businesses, to both support Moreno and oppose Aguirre.
Aguirre has help from a committee with major support from SEIU Local 221, the largest union of county workers, which has collected $220,000 to support her.
Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, the only elected Republican in the race, has the support of a committee that has raised at least $280,000.
- One backing Chula Vista Councilmember Carolina Chavez, has generated another $125,000 to spend in the race.
- The county sheriff's union also spent $49,900 on McCann's behalf.
The intrigue: Aguirre's endorsement from the San Diego County Democratic Party gives her supporters another way to back her.
- Contributors can donate money to her through the party in excess of standard donation limits facing candidate-controlled campaigns.
- She's received at least an additional $120,000 in support through the party.
Follow the money: The San Diego Labor Coalition — an existing political action committee not dedicated to the special election, controlled by Liuna — has spent $15,000 opposing McCann and supporting Lincoln Pickard, an unelected Republican who is also running.
- Any candidate who gets more than 50% support in the primary can win the election outright, without a general to follow.
- Hitting the high-profile Republican and boosting a lesser-known one in ads sent to GOP voters, is a strategy meant to ensure keep McCann below 50% in the primary.
The fine print: Another existing PAC controlled by Liuna has spent $23,000 supporting an effort to recall Aguirre as IB's mayor.
- Ads from that spending cannot mention the special election, and can only go to IB voters, but it's created another way for the union to hit Aguirre.
Between the lines: Multiple contributors, like prominent real estate developers David Malcolm and Tom Sudberry, have donated to entities backing both Moreno and McCann
- The top two vote getters in the primary, regardless of party, advance to a runoff election on July 1 (unless one meets the over 50% mark), and the development industry is trying to keep Aguirre out of that race, Malcolm told Axios.
What he's saying: Malcolm donated nearly $100,000 total between two committees supporting Moreno and opposing Aguirre, and over $10,000 supporting McCann. He said he'll "win either way" if they both reach a July runoff.
- "It's the building industry that supports both, people who are opposed to rent control, and believe we have a housing shortage and shouldn't shrink the supply of housing like IB has done."