Cunningham Leads Funds Race in 51st : Money: Chula Vista Republican out earns former foe Lowery, who bowed out, by almost $8,000, reports show.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Randy (Duke) Cunningham (R-Chula Vista) raised nearly $8,000 more in campaign funds during the first three months of the year than his former 51st District primary opponent, Rep. Bill Lowery (R-San Diego), according to recent reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Lowery withdrew from the race early last week, fearing a relentless, one-issue campaign focusing on his 300 overdrafts at the now-closed House Bank.

But the FEC reports indicate that the first-term Cunningham had been more effective in gathering contributions for his reelection, even though Lowery now represents about 40% of the 51st District.

From Jan. 1 to March 31, Cunningham raised $155,948 to Lowery’s $147,974.

A Lowery spokesman said the fund-raising had been going well, but several events were canceled after the candidate quit the race.

“Money was not the problem,” Mark Strand, Lowery’s chief of staff in Washington, said Wednesday.

“The check issue obviously hurt us, but we had our biggest fund-raiser after (Lowery) made his check announcement,” Strand said.

That event was a dinner at the Rancho Bernardo Inn featuring Gov. Pete Wilson, where much of the money had been contributed in advance.

There were 46 contributions to Lowery, $42,275 from political action committees, more than twice the $20,580 Cunningham received from his 34 special-interest contributions.

The largest such contribution to Lowery was $4,000 from the General Atomics PAC in San Diego. Lowery also received $3,000 from the Maersk Good Government Fund in Washington (associated with an international shipping firm); $2,500 from the Walt Disney Corp. PAC; and $2,500 from the AT&T; PAC.

Cunningham’s largest PAC contribution was $1,300 from Interlake PAC (associated with an Illinois aerospace firm). Several others were for $1,000, among them funds from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Assn., General Dynamics Voluntary PAC, and the Hotel del Coronado PAC.

Cunningham did better with individual contributors, who pitched in $135,368 to his campaign, contrasted with $105,699 for Lowery.

Under federal law, individual contributions are limited to $1,000 per candidate per election. For PACs, the limit is $5,000 per election.

Cunningham, who late last month began running radio ads attacking Lowery’s bank overdrafts, had total expenditures of $132,760 in the three-month period and wound up with $98,965 cash on hand. He started the year with $75,778 in his campaign treasury.

Lowery’s election hopes dimmed dramatically last month after his admission that he and his wife wrote the 300 overdrafts. Although some of his top aides urged him to engage Cunningham head-on in a “mud-slinging” contest, Lowery decided “to stay positive” and never mounted a media campaign.

After starting the year with $106,182, Lowery listed expenditures of $94,333 and has $159,984 left over.

According to press secretary Tina Kreisher, Lowery will pay all outstanding bills, return donations to contributors who request them and “pursue his political agenda” by donating funds to other political candidates who share his views.

Cunningham and Lowery both chose to run in the same district because of its comfortable 54%-30% edge in Republican voters, although a new redistricting plan provided the county with four GOP-leaning districts--one for each Republican incumbent.

The county’s fifth district, the 50th in central San Diego, was drawn to encourage minority--presumably Democratic--candidates.

Lowery barely survived a close election in 1990 after he was named the top congressional recipient of contributions from the savings-and-loan industry.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Coronado) listed $6,085 in total contributions during the first three months of the year, $3,135 from individuals and $2,950 from PACs.

Hunter had six PAC contributions, the largest $1,000 from the Fluor Public Affairs PAC in Irvine.

He started the year with $96,751 in campaign funds and ended up with $70,621 as of March 31, after paying $33,373 in expenses.

Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside), who began the year with a comfortable campaign fund of $227,254, raised an additional $2,235, with two PACs contributing $1,630 and individuals accounting for $605.

After spending $13,751, Packard enters the primary election season with $220,440. He faces two Republican challengers.