SANTA BARBARA - Mike Stoker, candidate for the 35th assembly has never had a single fundraiser to help him with campaign expenses.  Funny thing is he doesn't even really need a job.  Stoker is a successful lawyer on his own two feet.  His kids are all grown and launched, and he has the enviable "empty nest."  But Stoker has always had been quick to give back to his community.  The last time he gave himself to the community he was a County Supervisor. 

 

As County Supervisor he wrangled the same economic issues  - a county is fiscal crisis.  From 1986 to 1994 he turned a $20 million deficit into a $10 million dollar surplus.  Sounds an awful lot like what is needed in State politics.

Apparently, since August almost 300 people agree.  They donated  just over $100,000 raised since late August.  Stoker said "we far exceeded our goals regarding fundraising.  Significantly, we did not do one fundraiser and have not done one mass mailing to my contributor list and still we raised in excess $100,000."

 

In politics, the number of contributors is usually as big of a positive indicator as the amount of money raised since a large number usually indicates a grass roots movement, and momentum.  Again, Stoker, "[our contributors] exceed the amount of contributors to the Williams or Jordan campaign and they have been fundraising since last winter...almost a year ago.  We have over 12 fundraisers planned over the next 5 months with members of the US Congress and Senate, State Assembly and State Senate, Governor Wilson, Secretary of State Bill Jones and others who headline the events."

 

Stoker is the only Republican who qualified for his name to appear on the ballot, but another Republican - Daniel Goldberg has announced his intentions to run and hopes to get the nomination over Stoker.  Goldberg appears to be poorly organized, and very late.  Goldberg, a generational flower farmer, hopes to run on an Agrigculture/farm ticket.  At the time of writing he only has 50 fans on his facebook page.

 

Stoker appears confident about his position in the party - "both Jordan and Williams will show having raised more, they have been at it for a year while I have been at it for only three months and more importantly is the fact they will both spend everything they have in a very contentious primary and probably be in debt whereas I will able to wake up the day after the primary with $200,000 to $300,000  in the bank."

 

Meanwhile, Jordan has hardly been seen at all in Santa Barbara.  As the husband of the current 35th assemblymen, Pedro Nava, one cannot help but wonder if she is trying to ride on Nava's coattails into her office.  Williams on the other hand needs a job.  He will be termed-out on the city council, and there is really nowhere else for him to go except back to Ventura to work as a political consultant, a position he already is able to freelance as.

 

Williams who self-admittedly has had a rough time of late, saying this last year was the "worst year for the economy, California politics, and my personal life on record."