Cash-Rich California Plays Dominant Role in Funding Presidential Candidates

WASHINGTON —  Flush with renewed economic confidence, increased wealth and a growing sense of political entitlement, individual Californians pumped a record $17.8 million into presidential campaign coffers last year, an analysis of Federal Election Commission data shows.

That sum, representing contributions of $200 to $1,000 donated in just 1999, more than doubled the total donations made by Californians in previous election cycles and once again made the state the nation’s No. 1 source of campaign cash for presidential candidates.

The unrivaled participation of Californians in funding the presidential nomination process reflects not only the state’s surging affluence and the increasing political involvement of its high-technology sector but also, some analysts suggested, a growing desire by some of the state’s business and political leaders for influence on the national scene.

“You’re beginning to feel that as California emerges as a technology center nationally--given the prominent role of Silicon Valley and [the] Digital Coast--there’s tremendous energy,” said Andy Spahn, a Dreamworks SKG executive who is a major fund-raiser for the Democratic Party. “There is tremendous optimism here and almost a return to the magic of the ‘60s and ‘70s, when Californians felt we led the nation.”

California was not the only state that busted its previous record of contributions. Voters across the country contributed almost twice as much to presidential candidates in 1999, a whopping $135 million in itemized contributions, than they did in the entire 1995-96 election cycle.

‘An ATM Machine for Presidential Politics’

But contribution records indicate that no matter which candidate moves into the White House next January, the new president will be indebted to California. At the end of last year, California donations accounted for 12% of the itemized contributions to Republican front-runner Texas Gov. George W. Bush. California contributions made up 13% of the war chest of Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona; 15% of itemized contributions to Vice President Al Gore; and 18% of former Sen. Bill Bradley’s coffers.

An earlier-than-ever state primary and the open contests of both major political parties also helped produce a record-breaking level of California contributions. In addition, fund-raising experts said, California’s eye-popping high-tech wealth made the state an even stronger magnet for candidates in search of cash, leading them to spend more time trolling for dollars in the state.

“In the last few election cycles, California was basically an ATM machine for presidential politics,” said Anthony Corrado, professor of government at Maine’s Colby College.

“This time there’s quite a bit of campaigning being done as well as fund-raising,” he added. “The candidates are placing an enormous amount of emphasis on California because they’re trying to tap into the money created by the technology boom.”

It all adds up to a bigger role for California in financing the presidential campaigns and choosing the next president.

An analysis by the Virginia-based Campaign Study Group shows that California voters gave GOP presidential candidates about $9.7 million in itemized contributions last year, and Bush collected a whopping $7.1 million of that. McCain, whose campaign caught fire only after his convincing victory in the New Hampshire primary last month, had collected $1.1 million from Californians by the end of December.

Other Republican candidates--including Alan Keyes, who took in roughly $28,000--and some candidates who have dropped out in recent months collected an additional $1.6 million from the state’s voters.

Among Democratic contenders, California donors gave Bradley a slight edge. He collected $4.3 million in itemized contributions last year while Gore received $3.7 million.

A geographic analysis of Californians’ contributions reveals that certain areas of the state are friendlier to certain candidates and parties than others.

Different Areas Have Their Favorites

Gore scored big in Southern California, while his rival dominated the San Francisco Bay Area. The vice president raised more money last year in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills--$873,205 and $375,115 respectively--than any other candidate.

Bradley reaped the bulk of his California contributions from Silicon Valley and the northern part of the state. He raised $685,275 in San Francisco and $170,150 in Palo Alto; of the 10 ZIP Codes that were most generous to him, eight are in Northern California.

The vice president, despite his aggressive efforts in recent years to court Silicon Valley executives, raised only $343,825 in San Francisco and $74,550 in Palo Alto.

While Bush did not match the Democrats’ totals in those big cities, his financial support was spread more evenly across the state. Bush raised more than $100,000 in each of 13 California cities--Los Angeles, San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, San Diego, Rancho Santa Fe, Santa Barbara, Pacific Palisades, Atherton, Bakersfield, Fresno, Pasadena and Sacramento.

Democrat Bradley, by comparison, passed the $100,000 benchmark in just five cities; Gore collected that much in only four cities.

Candidates Focused on California Early

The greater Los Angeles area accounted for more than one-third of the state’s contributions. Voters in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties gave presidential candidates $6.6 million in itemized contributions last year.

Within the Los Angeles area, Westside residents contributed generously to both parties but gave Democratic candidates roughly one-third more than GOP candidates. Voters identifying themselves as Los Angeles residents contributed almost $1.4 million to Democratic candidates and roughly $933,000 to Republicans.

Beverly Hills voters gave Democratic candidates $548,315 and Republicans $299,277 in itemized contributions last year.

But voters throughout the state were voting with their wallets last year, thanks in part to a change in the state’s political calendar.

Because California’s primary was moved from the first Tuesday in March, earlier even than the late March primary in 1996, candidates came into the state earlier to campaign and raise money. That in turn gave California voters an earlier and greater sense of involvement in the overall process.

Candidates “anticipated that California [primary votes] would matter more, so [they] paid more attention and people felt more invested,” said Bruce Cain, director of the Institute of Government Studies at UC Berkeley.

State Flush With High-Tech Firms’ Cash

Over the last several years, the nation’s high-tech industries have become more involved in national politics because of key immigration, encryption, antitrust and other policies that are shaped in Washington.

California’s high-tech money comes on top of the state’s longtime source of political funding--particularly for Democrats--from the entertainment industry.

“Obviously California is a source of a lot of money because of the start-up companies. Add to that the entertainment industry and that’s a lot of money,” said Herbert Alexander, professor emeritus of political science at USC.

Analysts stressed that California’s dominant role in funding the race for president will continue through election day. After the parties nominate their candidates, they raise soft money from wealthy individuals, corporations and unions to fund get-out-the-vote efforts and issues campaigns.

“Over the course of the next six months, we will see a dramatic increase in the money coming out of California, particularly in the form of soft money,” Corrado said.

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Top Donors By ZIP Code

Californians contributed $17.8 million to presidential candidates last year--about $9.7 million to Republican candidates and $8.1 million to Democrats. Most donations came from Southern California. Shown here are ZIP Codes in the state from which the most money was donated:

*

L.A.Metro-Area Contributions*

George W. Bush: $2,612,137

Bill Bradley: $1,072,266

Al Gore: $1,851,499

John McCain: $377,652

Alan Keyes: $12,700

Other: $708,937

Total: $6,635,191

*

Statewide Total Contributions

George W. Bush: $7,030,782

Bill Bradley: $4,273,774

Al Gore: $3,682,824

John McCain: $1,093,767

Alan Keyes: $28,392

Other: $1,682,161

Total: $17,791,700

*

* Based on individual contributions of $200 or more received by the presidential campaigns from Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 1999, except for Steve Forbes and Alan Keyes, for whom data is available through Sept. 30, 1999.

*L.A. metro-area totals are based on the U.S. Census Bureau definition of the area. It includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Source: Campaign Study Group; compiled by SUNNY KAPLAN/Los Angeles Times

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Times researcher Sunny Kaplan contributed to this story.