AD71 Watch: Neil Blais Says He's Raised $75,000 In A Single Night

This came over the transom yesterday from Neil Blais for Assembly:

Neil Blais Kicks Off Assembly Campaign with Big Financial Support

Campaign kick-off event nets over $75,000 in one night

(Rancho Santa Margarita) – Councilman Neil Blais kicked off his campaign for the open 71st Assembly District with a broad-based fund raising event last Thursday, netting over $75,000 in financial support on one night.

“We’re very grateful for this early outpouring of support,” said Neil Blais.  “The response from the Republican grass roots and donor communities to our candidacy has been very encouraging.”

The Blais campaign kick-off took place last Thursday at the Cox Communications building in Rancho Santa Margarita.  The packed house included several elected officials, including Assemblywoman Mimi Walters (a candidate for the 33rd Senate seat), Mayor Richard Dixon, former Tustin Mayor Jeff Thomas, and many of Orange County’s most prominent donors, including finance co-chair John Saunders.

“Neil is a Republican candidate that we can all get excited about,” said Saunders.  “That was clearly evident by the outpouring of support last Thursday.  I think Neil will make an excellent state legislator, and I am looking forward to helping him get there.”

Neil Blais is a respected member of the Rancho Santa Margarita City Council, where he’s earned a reputation of being a tough fiscal watchdog and champion of conservative causes.  Neil is also a fixture in the Orange County Republican Party, where he served for four years as the representative on the 71st District Central Committee and is currently a member of the Orange County Lincoln Club.

Neil was also a member on the Rancho Santa Margarita cityhood committee and played an integral role in RSM’s incorporation.

Neil and Destin Blais live in Rancho Santa Margarita, where they are raising their son Nash and are active in their local church.  Neil Blais has retained the services of veteran GOP consultants JohnsonClark Associates and fundraiser Desiree Muzoon to help in his Assembly race. 

Comments

[Go Man Go!]

If he can raise $75,000 per day from now until the election he has this thing in the bag!!!

[Karl Rove]

Looks like Mr. Blais has taken the upper hand in this race so far. Not a bad start.

[Max Headroom]

Congratulations, you've made half of what Jeff Miller has raised. Click here

[Karl Rove]

Max,

I'm actually surprised that Miller has raised so little at this point in time. As Chairman of the Republican Party in Riverside, I would have thought that he would have raised a lot more. Maybe he doesn't have the support that he would like people to believe? Could it be that he is really a union hack when you consider all the union money he took in 2004?

It is still pretty early in the campaign, but based on what I have seen so far, Miller is certainly no shoe in and I wouldn't even consider him the front runner.

I wouldn't count Steve Choi out just yet. I think he is the only one in the race with a member of the OC delegation endorsing him and it is an impressive one--Van Tran. Team Tran took an unknown and nearly won. Choi also has Adam Probolsky on board and he surely will be able be an asset to his strategy. With Choi's Irvine connections and Asian money base, I think he is the dark horse to watch.