Politics & Government
Long Beach's 2012 Congressional Race: It is on.
Belmont Shore's City Council member Gary DeLong announces raising $100,000 for his campaign while fellow Republican Steve Kuykendall shares his endorsements.
Belmont Shore’s City Councilman Gary DeLong announced Thursday that his campaign has raised $100,000 for the recently created U.S. Congressional seat that won't be decided until 2012 (an earlier version had the wrong year), while his Republican opponent shared some of his endorsements.
DeLong, also a Republican, represents about 50,000 people in the 3rd district, the city’s east side. He announced his run for the 47th Congressional District on August 17. Also declared in the race are Steven Kuykendall, former South Bay Congressman and State Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), who currently serves the 27th district.
Kuykendall, whose campaign started after DeLong’s , said campaigns raise a lot of money over a long period of time, and his campaign does not plan on releases any financial contribution numbers until September 30 — which is the reporting date.
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“We have not done any press releases, and did not hold a big campaign announcement event,” he said. “We started a committee, confirmed my intent to run through a local newspaper and are working hard, but at this point it is all kind of like drinking out of a fire house.”
Lowenthal, a former Long Beach City Council Member who served two terms representing Long Beach in the California Assembly, could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.
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Kuykendall, a Republican, who served one term as the 36th Congressional District representative from1999 to 2001, said he's received backing from former Gov. Pete Wilson, who also served as San Diego mayor and U.S. senator, and L.A. District Attorney Steven Cooley.
DeLong has received endorsements from former Gov. George Deukmejian, a longtime Belmont Shore resident, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, the former mayor of Cerritos. On Thursday, he announced endorsement by Long Beach City Auditor and Wilson High graduate Laura Doud.
“I am truly grateful for all the support I have received, and I am encouraged by the enthusiasm and positive response I continue to hear from supporters,” DeLong said in Thursday’s press release.
The 47th Congressional District now stretches from Long Beach east to Cypress and Garden Grove and includes Rossmoor, Los Alamitos in Orange County — this after the California Redistricting Commission finalized political boundaries in August.