The race for state Senate District 25 has stood out in California for its sheer cost. More than $5 million has been poured into the five-way race — much of it coming from one candidate.
But preliminary primary results show that the nearly $3 million that Democrat Yvonne Yiu invested in her campaign — making her the top donor to any state race — could not help her secure a top two spot needed to advance to the general election.
At last count Wednesday, the Monterey Park council member was in third place. The top vote-getter is Elizabeth Wong Ahlers, the sole Republican and a Crescenta Valley Town Council member, trailed by Democrat Sasha Renée Pérez, vice mayor of Alhambra.
The two best-known Democrats, Yiu and Pérez, had focused their campaign attacks on one another, with Yiu enjoying a cash advantage that she directed toward TV commercials and political mail that positioned her as a tough-on-crime candidate who would ensure better Asian American representation in Sacramento.
But, money doesn’t guarantee victory, said Nathan Chan, a political scientist at Loyola Marymount University.
“The quality of the outreach also matters,” Chan said. “Just because you’re sending mailers out nonstop doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the voters are going to respond to it.”
Yiu, who used to run her own investment banking firm, had self-funded a previous campaign. She contributed nearly $6 million to an unsuccessful run for state controller in 2022.
Yiu, who did not respond to a request for comment for this story, had said before that she self-funds to avoid being beholden to special interests.
Ahlers got a call first thing Wednesday morning from LAist reporter, Josie Huang— the day after she clinched top spot for CA Senate in District 25. The top two candidates will advance to the general elections in November. Click here to view original LAist article.
