For the second time in two months, Joy Silver, a political newcomer has proven the naysayers wrong. She has outraised her popular Republican opponent – not once, but twice. Some said it could not be done.

In February, Silver reported collecting nearly $160,000 for her state Senate campaign in the last six months of 2017, outraising incumbent Republican Sen. Jeff Stone by a 3 to 1 margin.

In the first four months of 2018, Silver collected nearly $100,000 for her State Senate campaign, again out-raising incumbent Stone by a 2 to 1 margin.  Nearly 900 individual contributors have given to Silver’s grassroots campaign.

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Joy Silver

“It’s clear – the people of Riverside County are tired of the same old political games and are fired up to bring change to Sacramento,” Silver said in a prepared statement. “In Sacramento, I’ll get down to business protecting healthcare, expanding affordable housing and investing in more career training programs to help Riverside’s working families. It’s so inspiring that everyday people are making these contributions and helping us build an exciting grassroots campaign in every part of the district.”

In the first four months of 2018, the period covered by the latest FPPC Form 460 filing, Silver raised $97,089.50, compared to Stone’s receipts of $55,123.00 in the same period.  Silver’s cash on hand advantage is also significant, with Silver showing $106,721.33 available for the campaign and Stone having only $37,617.71 in the bank.

In a prepared statement, Rose Kapolczynski, Silver campaign consultant said, “Jeff Stone is out of touch on the issues that matter to Riverside County families.  With Stone’s abysmal record of failed legislation and opposition to critical investments for his district, it’s not surprising that Stone is struggling to find support for his sputtering re-election campaign.”

Silver has recently been endorsed by the California Teachers Association, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of the Pacific Southwest, and the California Democratic Party. She has also earned the endorsement of many trusted elected officials including Congressmen Raul Ruiz and Mark Takano, State Senator Connie Leyva, Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia and Riverside County Supervisor Manny Perez.

Those who know her and have watched her tirelessly crisscrossing the 28th state Senate District, describe her as a force of energy and a dynamo.

Stone, a Republican, was first elected to the state Senate in 2014. He was a 2016 Republican candidate who sought election to the U.S. House to represent the 36th Congressional District of California. He lost to Ruiz.

The geographically vast 28th District, which is entirely in Riverside County, stretches from the vineyards of the Temecula Valley to the Colorado River and includes the cities of Blythe, Canyon Lake, Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, Lake Elsinore, La Quinta, Murrieta, Temecula, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and Wildomar.