“Year round campaigning has evolved in the last couple of election cycles,” said Allan Hoffenblum, a longtime Republican strategist and author of the California Target Book, which tracks the state’s elections. “It never used to be this way.”
First-time legislative candidates are seeking sizable campaign contributions much earlier in the election cycle, he said. This doesn’t apply to elected officials, Hoffenblum stressed. They never stop raising money, and big-money Sacramento contributors are only too happy to continue padding their accounts.
But new candidates like Joaquin Arambula are seeking open seats. In Arambula’s case, it is the 31st Assembly District, where current member Henry T. Perea will reach his term limit next year and can’t seek reelection.
“Some candidates have not even come forward yet,” Hoffenblum said.