Embed the election widgets shown above on your blog or website for Scott Peters or Carl DeMaio by clicking the green 'Get Widget' button on their Voter's Edge page.
October 31, 2014 -- Democratic Rep. Scott Peters, a former attorney, currently represents California’s 52nd toss-up district after winning the seat in 2012. Peters is known for his immense personal wealth, and was ranked the sixth richest member of Congress in 2012 with an estimated net worth of $112,467,040. He has raised $2.5 million for his re-election campaign this year, less than half of which comes from California. His top contributors include telecommunications company Qualcomm ($28,250) and Sempra Energy ($18,000), an energy company based in San Diego.
His opponent, Republican businessman Carl DeMaio, was elected to the San Diego City Council in 2008 and ran unsuccessfully for Mayor in 2012. DeMaio founded and later sold The Performance Institute, a company that ran government conferences and studied bureaucratic efficacy. DeMaio is running as a socially moderate Republican, supporting marriage equality, abortion rights, and environmental protections. DeMaio is openly gay and made news by featuring his partner in a campaign ad, as well as for a string of campaign scandals. DeMaio has nearly matched Peters in fundraising, taking in $2.2 million. His top contributors also include Qualcomm, as well as various financial services, real estate, and law firms.
Editor's Note: If you use MapLight data, please cite us. MapLight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that reveals money's influence on politics.
Methodology: MapLight analysis of campaign contributions to the primary controlled committees associated with candidates on California's November ballot from January 1, 2013 - September 3, 2014. Top contributor figures are based on itemized records, aggregated by employer for individual donors and by affiliate organization for political action committees. Total raised figures are based on summaries submitted by candidate committees in Form 460 reports. All numbers are based on latest data made available by the California Secretary of State as of September 3, 2014.
