(Garden Grove, CA) – City Councilman Mark Leyes, Republican candidate for the 68th Assembly District in next Tuesday’s election, is STILL ahead according to recent polling.
Word is out that independent polling has confirmed earlier results from noted pollster Arnold Steinberg. Steinberg's polling showed Mark Leyes ahead of criminal lawyer Van Thai Tran (Leyes' only opponent) by 10 points on the first ballot test.
Adding to Leyes' frontrunner status is his advantage in campaign funds in the final days of the campaign. In the final campaign filing before the March 2nd election, Leyes showed $71,000 cash-on-hand with no bills pending. Van Tran’s campaign had only $42,000 (after deducting unspendable general election funds) with over $15,000 in accrued expenses yet to be paid. That brings Tran's available cash to less than $27,000, barely enough for one mailer in the 68th AD.
"This confirms what we've heard from Sacramento sources and community leaders, that the Tran campaign is imploding," said Morrissa Sagal, Leyes for Assembly Campaign Manager. "Tran is behind in the polls, running out of money, and getting desperate."
So desperate, in fact, that Tran's campaign manager Paul Hegyi was recently at the Registrar of Voters trying to rationalize the mishandling of absentee ballots by the campaign after a representative of Tran's campaign tried on February 9th and 10th to exchange Decline-to-State ballots for Republican ballots.
The Los Angeles Times' Daily Pilot reported on Feb. 21 that the Registrar of Voters has alerted the District Attorney of the Tran campaign's actions. The collection and possession of voted ballots is a criminal violation of the California Elections Code. In addition, former State Assemblyman Jim Morrissey has requested the U.S. Attorney investigate the suspect activity.
"I invite Van Tran to repudiate such blatant disregard for the law, and to pledge to run an honest campaign devoid of dirty tricks and voter fraud," Republican 68th AD candidate Mark Leyes said. "The voters of the 68th AD deserve an honest and fair election."
For more information contact the Mark Leyes for Assembly campaign at (714) 638-3786 or visit the campaign website at www.MarkLeyes.com.
The Los Angeles Times Daily Pilot article of February 21, 2004 may be viewed at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/pilot/news/la-dpt-voting21feb21,1,4316425.story?coll=la-tcn-pilot-news
