California House race target of huge spending by outside groups | McClatchy Washington Bureau

Well over $11 million has been spent on the closely watched San Joaquin Valley congressional race pitting Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, against second-time Democratic challenger Michael Eggman.

In an extraordinary flurry, outside groups have reported spending at least $8.2 million in the 10th Congressional District race. On their own, Denham and Eggman had reported spending an additional $3.7 million through Oct. 19.

The fundraising and expenditure totals for the district that spans Stanislaus County and part of San Joaquin County will rise, moreover, even as voters cast their ballots Tuesday.

The mammoth outside spending in particular, recorded by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, underscores the significance partisans from both sides place on the Republican-held district where Democrats have a very slight voter registration advantage. In Eggman’s 2014 challenge, outside groups spent only a little over $100,000.

The two biggest outside players have been the Republican-run Congressional Leadership Fund and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, both of which have spent more than $3 million in the 10th Congressional District. The Democrats’ House Majority PAC has spent, as well, more than $1 million on Eggman’s behalf.

While it could well be a record for the district, the outside spending has also been swelling other California races.

Farther south in the San Joaquin Valley, more than $3.1 million has been spent by outside groups in the race between Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, and Democratic challenger Emilio Huerta. The House Majority PAC has been the biggest political investor, spending more than $1.9 million on Huerta’s behalf.

To the north, outside groups have spent more than $9 million on the race between Rep. Ami Bera, D-Sacramento, and Republican Scott Jones. When combined with spending by the candidates themselves, more than $13 million has been spent in the Sacramento-area race.

In the coastal congressional district that includes San Luis Obispo County, outside groups have spent more than $3.4 million in the race between Democrat Salud Carbajal and Republican Justin Fareed.