Outside money flowing to Mobley and Gray

The race between Democratic Assemblyman Adam Gray and Republican challenger Jack Mobley is among a dozen in California in which outside money is outpacing traditional campaign fundraising.

As of Friday, independent expenditures – a source growing in popularity, if not contention – accounts for nearly two-thirds of campaign money in the 21st Assembly District. On their own, Gray and Mobley raised a combined $704,557, an amount dwarfed by the $1.3million spent so far by others eager to help their candidate or torpedo the other.

Republican sources have funneled $859,895 to Mobley’s cause, amounting to nearly 92percent of the money either supporting him or attacking Gray, a first-term representative from Merced. Democrats last week complained to state ethics enforcers, suspecting that the influx of GOP independent expenditures violates a rule prohibiting coordination between outside moneybags and a candidate, a charge denied by Mobley’s camp.

Democratic donors this week rushed to Gray’s defense, pumping $346,500 into ads and mailers either supporting him or attacking Mobley.

The group Keeping Californians Working has spent $122,842 on Gray’s behalf, with the majority ($89,362, or 73percent) attacking his opponent as opposed to directly supporting Gray. Another major source is Californians for Jobs and a Strong Economy, which has spent $93,945 on Gray’s behalf, 79percent of which opposes Mobley.

Of independent expenditures benefiting Mobley, 94percent comes from the state GOP party, which is striving to break the Democratic supermajority in Sacramento. The rest comes from the California Homeowners Association.

The total amount of outside money benefiting Gray, $459,935, does not exceed the $628,308 he raised on his own as of Oct. 18, the end of the last reporting period, and either pot pales next to Mobley’s $859,895 in outside money. But the combined $1million going to Gray’s cause is more than Mobley’s combined total of $936,144. Last week, Mobley held the financial edge.

The 21st Assembly District, covering half of Modesto and all of Ceres, Patterson, Newman and Merced County, is considered the only competitive legislative contest in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. The race has attracted $2 million, with more than 65 percent from outside sources.

This story was originally published November 1, 2014 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Outside money flowing to Mobley and Gray."