Election season seems long gone and the holidays are over, but both local Democratic and Republican parties enter the New Year with their political committees in debt.
The Orange County Democratic Executive Committee ended their very strong 2012 raising $181,231.31, which helped lead to Democratic victories all over Orange County. However, the DEC will start 2013 about $10,000 in debt, as the committee faced expenses totaling $191,131.12. Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph has been at the helm of the DEC and focused heavily on increasing fundraising from the previous chairs, including the former chair Amy Mercado, who was criticized in part for lack of fundraising.
The Orange County Republican Executive Committee ended their lackluster 2012 election cycle raising $126,110.48. OCREC Chair Lew Oliver will have to dig his party out of nearly $40,000 in debt as his committee spent $164,383.06 in 2012, in addition to trying to turn his party around in light of major recent defeats.
