Buchanan tops Wilson in fund raising

The Democratic candidate is out-raising her Republican opponent in one of her party's targeted state Assembly districts for November.

Democrat Joan Buchanan, running in the 15th Assembly District, raised $106,809.42 in the most recent fundraising period, which ended June 30. She had an ending cash balance of $216,564.80.

That put her well ahead of San Ramon Mayor Abram Wilson, a Republican, who raised $32,499 but spent $82,343.81 during that period, leaving him with $9,097.73 in cash on hand.

In a press release, Buchanan thanked her donors and said they shared her concern for the direction of state politics.

"Like me, they believe that things need to change in Sacramento so we can get our economy back on track," she said in the release.

But Matthew Del Carlo, campaign manager for Wilson, said his candidate's low cash total reflected a bruising primary, not a bellwether for the fall campaign.

"Our race wasn't certified until the beginning of July," Del Carlo said. Wilson beat Robert Rao, a small businessman from Livermore, by about 200 votes, 11,984 to Rao's 11,703. Buchanan easily won her primary race, with better than 66 percent of the vote.

Since then, Del Carlo said, Wilson has raised considerable amounts of money, including $51,000 at a single event in Sacramento.

"Things are kicking into high gear," Del Carlo said.

With party registration close in the 15th Assembly District, both parties have made it a targeted open seat this year. Current Assemblyman Guy Houston (R-Dublin) is termed out and raising money for a run for the state Board of Equalization in 2010.

Democrats have a 39.4 percent to 38.1 percent registration advantage over Republicans in the district, which stretches over suburban and rural areas in parts of four Northern California counties, across the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta.

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