Competitive state attorney general’s race taking shape

SACRAMENTO — Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones plans to stay in the 2018 race for attorney general, his campaign said Tuesday. But he is losing his financial advantage over the incumbent and fellow Democrat, Xavier Becerra, according to fundraising numbers released by the secretary of state.

“Yes, he is running for attorney general based upon his years of experience, seven years of running what is in essence a large law enforcement operation,” Jones’ campaign consultant, Parke Skelton, said in a statement.

Becerra raised $2.4 million for his 2018 re-election campaign during the first six months of 2017, compared to $580,000 for Jones.

Skelton said Jones is “well-qualified” — he worked at the U.S. Department of Justice under then-Attorney General Janet Reno — and has $3.8 million at his disposal.

This includes his state attorney general campaign account and money left over from his 2014 re-election campaign for insurance commissioner. Jones terms out of that office next year.

Becerra’s senior campaign strategist, Dana Williamson, said the 12-term congressman has his attorney general campaign account and another $1.4 million from his congressional campaign account that can also be spent on the race.

“If you add those together, he has pretty much erased any fundraising advantage that Dave Jones has,” Williamson said.

Both men are also spending money.

Becerra has spent $297,000 this year, including $95,000 in fees and expenses for his campaign consultants, Capital Strategies, and over $19,600 for his campaign law firm, Kaufman Legal Group.

Jones reported spending almost $130,000, also mainly on campaign consultants.

The continued presence of both men in the race has created a thorny issue for some potential supporters. The fundraising numbers show both have strong support from traditional Democratic groups including labor unions and plaintiffs’ attorneys.

Several attorneys and firms have given to both candidates. This includes Brian S. Kabateck, a founding partner with Kabateck Brown Kellner LLP in Los Angeles and a past president of the Consumer Attorneys of California.

“It puts me in an awkward position,” Kabateck said. “I can’t support one friend over another.”

While Becerra has name recognition and the power of incumbency, Kabateck said, Jones has deeper connections with attorneys and political figures within California.

Becerra received nearly twice the support from donors who listed their occupation as “attorney.” He raised $250,000 from attorneys since Jan. 1, compared to $136,000 for Jones.

The incumbent has some notable attorneys in his camp. Former Attorney General Bill Lockyer donated $4,400 from a campaign account.

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP partner Kathleen L. Brown, the younger sister of Gov. Jerry Brown and a former state treasurer, donated $500. Her firm gave Becerra another $2,000. Plaintiffs’ attorney Thomas V. Girardi and his wife Erika Girardi each gave $7,300 to Becerra. The Girardi Keese partner is a major Democratic donor who gave $50,000 to a committee supporting Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Two other Girardi Keese attorneys, Robert W. Finnerty and David R. Lira, each gave $7,000 to Jones.

The pattern holds for some other prominent firms known for supporting Democrats. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has given $1,000 to Becerra and $7,000 to Jones. Various attorneys at the firm have given Jones another $4,600.

Both Becerra and Jones have the platform of a statewide office. Becerra announced on Tuesday his office was joining a multistate lawsuit against a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decision to delay new air quality rules.

Twenty minutes later, Jones’ office put out a press release detailing steps it was taking to “combat Trump’s undermining” of the Affordable Care Act.

California has seen only two truly competitive attorney general races in the last four decades: half-point wins for Democrat Kamala Harris over Republican Steve Cooley in 2010 and Republican Dan Lungren over Democrat Arlo Smith in 1990.

“It is an awfully long way from today to next June,” Kabateck said, citing the date of the “top-two” primary that could result in a Becerra versus Jones general election.