CA Senate hopeful Laird poised to cruise past primary as 2 challengers fight for second
One thing is clear about the November ballot for the Central Coast’s state Senate seat: John Laird’s name will most certainly be on it.
The seat that has been held for eight years by state Sen. Bill Monning is up for grabs after Monning terms out at the end of this year.
His handpicked successor, Laird, appears to have his three challengers smothered by mounds of campaign cash, corporate and political action committee contributions, and loads of important endorsements.
Laird, a former state natural resources secretary, is running against Democrats Maria Cadenas, executive director of the nonprofit Santa Cruz Community Ventures, and John Nevill, a rancher and respiratory therapist from King City, as well as Republican Vicki Nohrden, a Carmel businesswoman.
In the March 3 primary election, the two candidates with the most votes will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
Laird, who has been endorsed by Monning, served as natural resources secretary under former Gov. Jerry Brown.
The last round of financial disclosures before the primary election, released Friday, shows that Laird, who has been raising money for the race through all of 2019, is miles ahead of his challengers money-wise.
His campaign committee went into the last reporting period, beginning Jan. 19, with $332,120. As of Feb. 15, he had raised an additional $65,959 and spent $103,001, leaving him going into the primary with $289,372.
Laird does have an outstanding debt of $16,693, records show.
While Cadenas and Nohrden are in a virtual dead heat financially, debts by both candidates place Cadenas as the second-highest fundraiser, albeit by a slim margin.
Cardenas went into the last reporting period with $14,825, raised another $3,687, spent $291 and took on a $10,991 loan, leaving her with $18,221 spending money as of Feb. 15.
Reports show the former associate director of the ACLU of Wisconsin has an outstanding debt of $10,707.
Nohrden had a shoestring budget of $11,640 going into the last reporting period. Up to Feb. 15, she raised an additional $7,854, spent $5,956, and went into mid-February with $13,538.
The campaign for Nohrden, a former realtor turned community volunteer and court appointed special advocate for children, still has an outstanding debt of $13,028 from unpaid expenses accrued last year.
Nevill has not filed any campaign disclosure statements.
Asked about the race, Michael Latner, an associate professor of political science at Cal Poly, told The Tribune that he doubts whoever follows Laird into the general election will present a serious challenge, given Laird’s endorsements and union support, in addition to the money.
What is interesting, Latner said, is Cadenas’ presence in the race exemplifies the division within the Democratic Party between moderates and further left-leaning progressives.
“You only really see this kind of activity in a super safe seat,” Latner said.
The State Senate District 17 seat has only been held by one Democrat, Monning, since it was redistricted in 2012.
According to the California Office of the Secretary of State, voter registration in the district as of Jan. 3 was at 45.5% Democrat, 23.8% Republican, and 24.6% No Party Preference.
The district encompasses all of San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties as well as portions of Monterey and Santa Clara counties.
Clarification: This article has been updated to reflect that Monning is termed out in January 2021.
This story was originally published February 22, 2020 at 5:05 AM.
