Money Pouring into Bera's, Ose's Campaign Warchests; Birman Still in the Hunt

April 16, 2014 |

If money were a gauge of popularity, the two front-runners in the Seventh Congressional District race would be freshman Democratic Congressman Dr. Ami Bera in first and former Republican Congressman Doug Ose in second.

Today both campaigns released recent fundraising totals for the first quarter of the year, and between Bera and Ose, the total approached three-quarters of a million dollars. Bera raised over $485,000 while Ose brought in over $225,000.

Bera, who outpaced fundraising efforts of former Congressman Dan Lungren, who he narrowly defeated in 2012, the first quarter totals brought his cash on hand to about $1.5 million. Ose's totals brought him to about $465,000 on hand.

In their announcements, both candidates stressed the source of their cash. Ose said 70 percent of his donations come from Sacramento County while Bera has pointed out that 85 percent of individual donations came from California and 70 percent of those were for less than $100.

"I am so grateful for the incredible continued help from our grassroots supporters who make this campaign possible," Bera said. “It's just further confirmation that Sacramento County families want a problem solver who keeps his promises and puts them ahead of politics representing them in Congress."    

While Republican candidate Igor Birman trailed Bera and Ose in first quarter fundraising, Birman's campaign manager Keegan Conway noted they brought in over $110,000 in the first quarter.

"We are pleased with the level of support we continue to receive from donors who are excited about electing a strong conservative in 2014," Conway said.