As Election Nears, Congressional Candidates Reveal Latest War Chests

Editor's Note: These figures are based on federal reporting current as of 5 p.m. Oct. 31.

When it comes to campaign fundraising, the 47th Congressional District candidates are no slouches. The candidates have netted a combined $2.3 million, but Republican candidate Gary DeLong has a $361,000 fundraising lead over Democratic candidate Alan Lowenthal.

DeLong, a businessman and Long Beach City Council member, and Lowenthal, a California State Senator and Long Beach resident are battling to represent Los Alamitos, Rossmoor and large swaths of Long Beach. 

The candidates recently submitted campaign finance disclosure reports to meet the Oct. 17 deadline to file with the Federal election commission. 

Altogether DeLong has raised $361,803 more than Lowenthal. DeLong listed $1,339,937 in total contribution receipts while Lowenthal listed $978,134.

In addition to leading with individual contributions at $ $1,074,438-- compared to Lowenthal's $ $562,330 -- Delong has outspent Lowenthal by$222.

DeLong’s campaign lists total expenses at $1,022,244 and Lowenthal’s campaign expenses are listed at $800,003.

DeLong reportedly has $317,693 in cash left to spend whereas Lowenthal has $178,473 cash left on hand, barring a last minute injection of funds.

Though trailing in individual donations, Lowenthal has raised $395,168 from committees or $140,989 more than DeLong, who raised $254,179 from committee contributions.

Under federal law, an individual can donate $2,500 per election to a candidate for federal office. Individuals can also donate a maximum of $30,800 per calendar year to a national political party committee.

Political action committees, also called PACs, can give $5,000 to a candidate per election and can also give up to $15,000 annually to any national party committee, and $5,000 annually to any other PAC.

For a full chart of the contribution limits for individuals and PACs click here.

And in July 2010, the country saw the birth of a new type of group, the independent expenditure-only committee – called “superPACs” – after the supreme court ruling in the trial of SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission.

Super PACs cannot give money directly to a candidate but they may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals and then spend unlimited sums to advocate for or against political candidates.

To learn more about who funds candidates, visit followthemoney.org – which provides financial data about state politics – and opensecrets.org for financial data about national elections.

As of Jan. 3, 2012, there were 356,549 registered voters in the 47th Congressional District with 42 percent registered as Democrats and 32 percent registered as Republicans, according to data from the Secretary of State's office.

The election is next Tuesday, Nov. 6.