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Egland Campaign Shows Strength in Fundraising

By: Gus Thomson, Auburn Journal Staff Writer

AUBURN JOURNAL: Early tally has Egland ahead in fundraising

With the third quarter over for fundraising, Fourth Congressional District Republican challengers Eric Egland and Auburn City Councilman Mike Holmes are reporting campaign donations of $77,000 and about $20,000 respectively.

Other candidates - U.S. Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville and lone Democrat candidate, Charlie Brown - were in the midst of tallying up their totals for the past three months late last week.

Both Holmes and Egland, an Air Force reservist and Roseville resident, announced their candidacy against Doolittle for the Republican nomination during the third quarter.

Egland, who has been getting national attention this past week as expert commentator in the Fox News documentary "Iran: The Ticking Bomb," said that he's pleased with raising an average of $1,200 a day since announcing his candidacy in early August.

"I've spent most of my life on military campaigns, not political ones, so this was a decisive first step," Egland said. "The outpouring of financial support from the grassroots absolutely astounded me."

The initial quarterly total is proof that voters are seeking new conservative political leadership, Egland added.

"We've seen momentum steadily build since we started in early August and we see that momentum continuing into the future," Egland said.

Holmes, a retired Navy captain, held his first fundraiser last week. Holmes took on Doolittle in the primary as the lone Republican challenger in 2006, picking up 34 percent of the vote. He raised $88,000 to the veteran congressman's $988,000.

Holmes said that while his campaign is still working on the numbers, the final figure will be about $20,000.

To learn more about Eric or join the team, visit www.EricEgland.com

judythpiazza@newsblaze.com