Spurred by hefty contributions from entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and technologists, Josh Becker has taken a commanding fundraising lead over fellow Democrats Yoriko Kishimoto and Rich Gordon in the race for Ira Ruskin's seat in the 21st Assembly District.
Becker, a venture capitalist who focuses on green technology, raised $110,211 between Jan. 1 and March 17, new campaign finance data shows. Kishimoto and Gordon raised $32,897 and $28,629 over the same period, respectively.
Becker's strong fundraising in the latest reporting period further widened his lead over Kishimoto and Gordon. His ending cash is listed at $224,099, compared to Kishimoto's $92,457 and Gordon's $82,516.
The three will face off in the Democratic primary elections in June. The winner will be heavily favored to replace Ruskin, who is termed out at the end of this year.
Becker's campaign chest was greatly bolstered by sizeable contributions from high-tech executives, including officials from Google, Cisco, Facebook and HP. The Menlo Park resident also received a flurry of quadruple-digit contributions from dozens of venture capitalists, lawyers and technologists, including ones his venture-capital firm, New Cycle Capital, has invested in.
Though most of his support came from outside Palo Alto, Becker also received $2,000 from local developer Jim Baer and $500 from former Palo Alto Mayor Gary Fazzino.
Kishimoto, who served on the Palo Alto City Council for eight years before reaching her term limit last year, earned the bulk of her support from past and present Palo Alto officials, neighborhood leaders, environmentalists and family members. She also loaned $20,000 to her campaign just before the reporting deadline.
Gordon, a San Mateo County supervisor, received much of his support from Silicon Valley attorneys, construction companies and labor unions. Gordon also received $3,900 in contributions from Assemblywoman Fiona Ma's campaign and from the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee.
