Attorney General

The Democrats The Democratic primary for Attorney General will likely be the most media-covered primary race on next June’s ballot, after the battle for the Democratic nomination to face off against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. One reason is name ID—the front-runner in the race is Oakland mayor and former Governor Jerry Brown. The son of a governor, who has already served as secretary of state and governor, as well as launching a bid for president, Brown is a recognizable figure in California politics. He will face off against Rocky Delgadillo, the Los Angeles city attorney, who has been anointed a "rising star" in Democratic politics. In 2003, the Democratic Leadership Council named Delgadillo one of the "100 New Democrats to Watch," along with San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, gubernatorial hopeful State Treasurer Phil Angelides and then-Illinois State Senator Barak Obama. The battle, as Delgadillo would like to frame it, would be of California’s past against California’s future. "I am not the son of a governor. I wasn’t governor. I haven’t run for president," Delgadillo told me the day before he "officially" launched his campaign. "I’m a kid from the neighborhood. I was born and bred in the community. I wasn’t born and bred into politics." As of the June 30 filing deadline, Brown had more than $1 million more in his campaign account than Delgadillo, at $2.3 million compared to $1.3 million. Both candidates have continued to raise money at a steady clip, despite the siphoning off of donors’ money to the special election campaign. Whatever money Delgadillo does raise will be crucial for him to bring his name recognition up to that of Brown’s. Outside of Los Angeles, Delgadillo is virtually unknown. Brown’s long history with the state is clearly an asset, though if the Delgadillo campaign goes negative there are many in the state who may not recall "Governor Moonbeam" so fondly. Always important in the battle for the state’s "top cop" is tough-on-crime credentials. Delgadillo points to programs he has implemented in Los Angeles, such as Operation Bright Future, which he claims has had a 99 percent success rate getting 6000 formerly chronically truant students back in class. Meanwhile, Brown points to his successes as the executive of what has historically been one of the state’s, if not the country’s, most crime-ridden cities: Oakland. Policies priorities aside (where they are far too often put), Brown is considered the favorite in the race. He has higher name recognition; he has more money and he has the experience of several statewide campaigns. The Republicans "We are pleased to see there will be a robust Democratic primary. I will be prepared to run against whoever the Democrat is," Sen. Charles Poochigian, R-Fresno, told Capitol Weekly more than a month ago. Perhaps Poochigian, who looks almost certain to claim the Republican nomination, is pleased because he can continue to pile up a campaign war chest while his general election opponents fight it out in the primary. The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that Pierre-Richard Prosper, a Bush administration war crimes prosecutor was considering a run at the Republican nomination. Prosper is young (42) and African American, but this would be a tough primary to jump into late. Unless his Bush connection comes with big bucks, he faces an uphill battle. Poochigian has raised more money than any other Republican candidate for statewide office next year (excluding Schwarzenegger, who is currently using his campaign kitty for the special election). With more than $2 million in the bank, Poochigian will likely have an immediate financial advantage over whoever his Democratic opponent is in the general election. Poochigian is already positioning himself as a tough-on-crime candidate. As recently as last week, his picture appeared on the top of Schwarzenegger’s official website, a photo-op for an anti-crime bill signing. "Well, it's wonderful to be here today with Senator Chuck Poochigian and all the members of law enforcement, it's great to see everyone here that is fighting crime," announced Schwarzenegger. My crystal ball shows many more such appearances to come. Like every Republican running for statewide office next year, Poochigian will have to overcome the Party’s poor showing in 2002—where every statewide office was swept into Democratic hands. Candidate: Jerry Brown Party: Democrat Current Job: Mayor of Oakland Cash on Hand: $2,381,533.96, as of June 30. Consultant: His wife, Anne Gust Candidate: Rocky Delgadillo Party: Democrat Current Job: Los Angeles City Attorney Cash on Hand: $1,318,663.34, as of June 30. Consultant: Larry Grisolano Candidate: Charles Poochigian Party: Republican Current Job: Fresno State Senator Cash on Hand: $2,054,895.27, as of June 30. Consultant: Ken Khachigian