Cost of California U.S. Senate race: Relatively modest $19.1 million
By: ERICA WERNER - Associated Press | ∞
WASHINGTON -- California's U.S. Senate race between Democrat Barbara Boxer and Republican Bill Jones cost a total of $19.1 million, according to final campaign finance reports made public this week.
Spending by Boxer, the winner Nov. 2, accounted for fully three-quarters of that amount. Jones ended the race owing hundreds of thousands of dollars to consultants, airplane charters, lawyers, and even his own daughter, who did work for the campaign, the Federal Election Commission documents show.
Jones' low spending made for one of the cheaper recent statewide contests. Boxer's 1998 victory over Republican Matt Fong cost more, as did the 1988 Senate race between Republican Pete Wilson and Democrat Leo McCarthy, and the 1986 Senate race between Democrat Alan Cranston and Republican Ed Zschau.
By far the most expensive U.S. Senate race in California history remains Democrat Dianne Feinstein's 1994 victory over Michael Huffington. That race cost $44.3 million, much of it from Huffington's personal fortune.
Those totals are dwarfed by recent governor's races. Spending by major candidates in last year's gubernatorial recall was close to $88 million, and the 2002 governor's race hit $114 million.
The new reports show that Boxer spent a total of $14 million in the campaign, while Jones spent $5 million. Boxer had $1.1 million left after the election, while Jones had debts totaling $340,000 and only $115,000 cash on-hand. He dipped into campaign funds to repay himself $450,000 he'd loaned the campaign.
Boxer was boosted by $3 million in spending by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, even as the Democrats were fighting much tougher races in other states.
Jones, California's former secretary of state, got no equivalent help from the Republican Senate fund-raising committee.
Boxer trounced Jones 58 percent to 38 percent in the race. His poor fund-raising never allowed him to run television ads, and he never came up with $2 million of his own money he'd pledged to spend on the race.
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