The Angelides/Westly Battle - 92 Days to Go

The Democratic primary battle is shaping up to be a clash of money vs endorsements. State Treasurer Phil Angelides is close to receiving the endorsement of the states largest labor group while State Controller Steve Westly is ahead in cash and just added another $2.5 million from his personal fortune to his campaign's warchest.

An article in today's LA Times details the different strategies, strengths, and weaknesses of each campaign.

Two big name advisors may stand out to you in that article: Garry South for Westly and Bob Mulholland for Angelides. You'll remember South as the guy who as Gray Davis' advisor crafted the strategy to destroy Richard Riordan in the Republican primary so Davis could coast to victory against the weak and politically extreme Bill Simon in the 2002 general election. Mulholland is the big campaign guy at state party HQ, and if you've ever met him or heard him speak, you'll be hard pressed to forget his flamboyant style. I had the unique experience of watching the 2002 State of the Union with Mulholland and some others and lets just say he had some interesting comments.