obligated to reveal their war chests, Brown has been raising his kitty
without officially declaring himself to be a gubernatorial candidate,
and benefiting from the far higher contribution limit.
Candidates for statewide office -- such as Attorney General, Brown's
current gig -- can accept $6,500 for the primary election and another
$6,500 for the general. But gubernatorial candidates such as Newsom are
eligible to collect $25,900 per election cycle -- a max of $51,800.
As
Brown himself told us, once he declares for governor -- whenever the hell that is -- he can simply go back to the same people who've already given him funds and ask them for more based on the new contribution limit. The roughly $8 million or so he's toting could very quickly double or even triple. That's a trick Newsom can't match.
When we asked Brown when he might do this, his response was, essentially: When I feel like it.
"I don't know," he said. "I don't have to make my decision for several months and
I've got plenty to do as Attorney General -- and I'm raising money."
