When even Democrats are coming to Newport Beach to scoop up presidential campaign cash, you know it's getting serious.
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Hillary Clinton, who is polling well out front of her rivals from both parties (as opposed to husband Bill, who polls anything that moves … sorry, couldn't resist), is scheduled to attend a Balboa Bay Club fundraiser that runs from 7:30-9:30 tonight.
“Join us us for a rare opportunity to see Hillary Clinton in an intimate setting!” announces the Democratic Party of Orange County, which informs those who give $2,700 each get to attend a “VIP reception” with Madame Secretary. Or you can slum it for $1,000 a pop. RSVP at hillaryclinton.com or call 714.634.3367.
Meanwhile, the Daily Report, uh, reports that if you pony up $27,000 you will be named co-host of the event, attend a host reception and be enrolled in Clinton's Hillstarters program, while those who give a cool $50k become a full blown (careful, Bubba) event host, attend a host reception and also receive membership to the Hillstarters organization. Email lw****@hi************.com or call 323.573.9328 for more details.
Clinton's arrival just about seals it for announced/presumed major candidates having come to OC to scoop up 2016 presidential campaign donations, as she was preceded by Republicans Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, Rick Perry, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker and, earlier this month, Rand Paul.
The Clinton campaign aims to raise $1 billion, so to that end her SoCal swing naturally includes some pulls on the ol' Hollywood slot machine. She has three $2,700-per-person events scheduled Friday, first at the home of Westfield Corp. co-CEO Peter Lowy and his wife Janine, then the pad of HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo and his husband Sonny Ward and finally in the web of Spider-Man Tobey Maguire and his wife Jennifer.
But first comes the Orange County do, which will make for some interesting Secret Service coordination in the region as the same day the former first lady is in Newport Beach, President Barack Obama is scheduled to be at the LA home of Tyler Perry for a DNC event.
Colombian prostitutes take note!
Email: mc****@oc******.com. Twitter: @MatthewTCoker. Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.