Congressional candidate and Long Beach City Councilman Gary DeLong contributed to the re-election of opponent and State Senator Alan Lowenthal that returned him to office--despite now calling him part of the problem in California's education and financial crisis.
DeLong, the Republican candidate for the new U.S. House of Representatives seat that serves most of Long Beach and numerous Orange County cities including Los Alamitos and Rossmoor, gave $100 to Lowenthal's re-election campaign for state senate on Oct. 10, 2008.
Lowenthal, the Democratic candidate for the 47th Congressional District, is a former Long Beach City Councilman and college professor who has served the area as an assemblyman and senator for more than a dozen years. On Wednesday, he decried the "phenomenal" amount of money from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other national interests. If Lowenthal's estimate is correct for the $316,000 cost of a TV attack against him, DeLong's donation is almost token.
DeLong responded to the question of why he donated to an opponent he is now portraying as pro-government, anti-business and a contributor to the state's dire financial picture, suggesting Lowenthal has changed.
"Alan has become more and more anti-business as he's lost touch with the community," DeLong e-mailed. He added dryly, "Accordingly. I will be supporting his opponent this election as our country can't afford his failed economic policies."
DeLong and Lowenthal, and their respective campaigns, have been asked for comment, and we will update the story as it may develop.
A reader first raised the donation in comments on GreaterLongBeach.com, and another reader reposted them on Patch with the link to the public record of the donation.
A great question for Gary DeLong, who states over and over that Alan Lowenthal’s policies have been anti-business and driving the state into a financial abyss. If Lowenthal's fiscal policies are bankrupt as DeLong professes, why did DeLong himself donate to Lowenthal's campaign (not for this particular race, but for past state offices)?
You can find DeLong's contributions to Lowenthal's campaign at the below link. It is in alphabetical order. Scroll down, you’ll find it under “G” for Gary DeLong.
