How Karen Bass prevailed against Rick Caruso’s $100-million campaign finance case
Updated
It’s hard to describe the battle between Karen Bass and Rick Caruso, the former California Treasurer who is challenging her for election in the November 2018 US Senate race.
Caruso is hoping to raise enough money from donors to keep his Senate bid afloat and has asked for a $100-million donation from the public.
Bass, governor and lieutenant governor of Western Australia, has raised £500,000 ($810,000) and is trying to increase the sum to over £1m, but Caruso has so far been able to outspend her by more than a factor of five.
In a brief written statement after Bass raised £500,000, Caruso’s US Senate campaign claimed Bass had “no chance”, which is an exaggeration, but it’s a good example of the tactics used by the US Senate candidate.
Caruso is asking for a “truly unprecedented level” of grassroots donations from around the world, but he’s been unable to persuade the average person that he is the kind of candidate who deserves donations, the kind of candidate who should be able to raise almost as much money as Bass from anyone who cares to donate.
The US Senate campaign raised $2 million in the first three weeks of the year, as Caruso has done successfully, and his campaign has raised roughly $6 million, while Bass has raised slightly more than $500,000 from a very small group of people.
Caruso’s ability to raise this much money is due to a combination of factors, some of which are his own, but which in part were created by an election law that Caruso has repeatedly claimed should be repealed and replaced with a “worldwide system” (pdf).
While one of the most effective and effective uses of this system is for the US Senate, Caruso, like many other candidates, is also using it to raise money from donors who will be most unlikely to give
