Internet poker fight boosts Ian Calderon in Whittier Assembly race
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The fight over Internet poker may have played a role in the campaign against Rudy Bermudez.
Bermudez, a former Democratic assemblyman, is currently in third place, trailing fellow Democrat Ian Calderon, the son of current Assemblyman Charles Calderon (D-Whittier), by 250 votes for second place and a chance to advance to the November runoff.
[Updated: 4:17 p.m.: The Los Angeles County registrar of voters could not say how many ballots are left to count in the district, but Bermudez’s campaign is not optimistic about the candidate’s chances of overcoming Calderon’s advantage.]
According to records Bermudez filed with the state, he works for a coalition linked to card club owners, which may have triggered a massive political campaign against him.
The California Tribal Business Alliance spent more than $150,000 on mailers attacking Bermudez as “the Prince of Perks” for money spent from his campaign account at various wineries in the Napa Valley. The alliance is one of the groups opposing a bill backed by the card clubs to legalize online poker in California.
After more ballots were counted Friday, Calderon had a 250-vote lead over Bermudez for the second spot in the Whittier-based 57th Assembly District.
An amended version of the Internet poker bill, sponsored by Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Los Angeles), is expected to have a public hearing on Tuesday.
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-- Anthony York in Sacramento