GOP’s Chavez leaves Senate race

Low on funds and lagging in the polls, GOP Assemblyman Rocky Chavez has dropped out of California’s U. S. Senate race and will run for re- election to the Legislature.

Chavez, R- Oceanside ( San Diego County), announced his withdrawal at the beginning of a radio debate for Senate candidates Monday night in San Diego.

Although he was the leading Republican in the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, Chavez was pulling only 7 percent support in a January Field Poll and had just $ 369 in campaign cash on hand, according to the latest federal financial disclosure forums. He had $ 42,889 of campaign debt, according to the filing.

Chavez’s departure leaves two major Republicans in the field, former state party Chairmen Duf Sundheim and Tom Del Beccaro. Both are polling at 3 percent, according to the latest Field Poll.

Democratic state Attorney General Kamala Harris leads the candidates with 27 percent, followed by Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D- Santa Ana, with 15 percent. Harris has nearly $ 4 million in cash on hand, according to the latest filing, nearly double what Sanchez has.

The top two finishers in the June primary, regardless of party, will face each other in the November general election.

Now Chavez will turn to run for re- election in a decidedly less daunting race in Oceanside. He was first elected to the Assembly in November 2012.

In a statement, Chavez said he would “continue to champion our veterans, solutions to our state’s drought, long- term energy solutions, and making sure our children and grandchildren have access to a world- class education system from preschool to college.”