Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.
While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.
This article lists top fundraisers in the California State Assembly, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the Assembly submitted to the California Secretary of State. It includes activity between July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022.
Top fundraisers in the California State Assembly by party
The top fundraisers in California State Assembly elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they were on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.
In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Ken Cooley (District 7) – $3,909,548
- Esmeralda Soria (District 27) – $3,053,320
- Christy Holstege (District 47) – $2,568,196
- Pilar Schiavo (District 40) – $1,876,585
- Brian Maienschein (District 76) – $1,169,747
In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:
- Greg Wallis (District 47) – $1,350,612
- Suzette Martinez Valladares (District 40) – $1,338,964
- Josh Hoover (District 7) – $1,194,290
- Mark Pazin (District 27) – $1,079,557
- James Gallagher (District 3) – $681,598
Fundraising totals
Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $41.5 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $12.2 million. Combined, all Assembly fundraisers in the July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022, filing period raised $53.7 million.
The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 30 percent of all Democratic House fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 46 percent of all Republican Assembly fundraising.
The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top 10 fundraisers during this period.
| TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS – CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY (July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Party Affiliation | Raised | Spent |
| Ken Cooley | Democratic Party | $3,909,548 | $6,404,806 |
| Esmeralda Soria | Democratic Party | $3,053,320 | $1,353,264 |
| Christy Holstege | Democratic Party | $2,568,196 | $2,744,116 |
| Pilar Schiavo | Democratic Party | $1,876,585 | $1,531,403 |
| Greg Wallis | Republican Party | $1,350,612 | $1,006,795 |
| Suzette Martinez Valladares | Republican Party | $1,338,964 | $1,589,419 |
| Josh Hoover | Republican Party | $1,194,290 | $1,596,419 |
| Brian Maienschein | Democratic Party | $1,169,747 | $2,193,353 |
| Mark Pazin | Republican Party | $1,079,557 | $1,193,417 |
| Rick Chavez Zbur | Democratic Party | $817,405 | $1,377,007 |
Campaign finance reporting periods
The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate committees submitted to the California Secretary of State. Candidate committees represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate committees. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines.
This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.