LA JOLLA, Calif. - Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican vice presidential candidate, started a fundraising swing through Southern California Wednesday with a private event at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.
Donald Trump's running mate is expected to be in the region for two days, including a planned speech Thursday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley.
"Hillary Clinton was here, Donald Trump was not far away, this is an important part of the country, so it's not really surprising that candidates come here periodically -- plus there's money here, candidates need money," Timothy Enneking, who was outside the club, told a local media outlet.
The San Diego event was co-hosted by developer Doug Manchester, the San Diego Reader reported. According to the Reader, weight-loss mogul Jenny Craig was also among the co-hosts, along with Madeleine Pickens, ex-wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens. The same people hosted a fundraiser for Trump in mid-July in Rancho Santa Fe.
According to the Reader, the base price of admission to the lunch event in La Jolla was $1,000, but $2,700 allowed the attendee to have a photo taken with Pence.
Before the event, Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, told reporters that there were certain aspects of the Trump campaign that likely weren't going to be brought up at the fundraiser.
"Mr. Pence probably isn't going to remind his audience that Donald Trump launched his campaign by calling Mexican immigrants 'rapists' and said they were 'bringing drugs,'" Peters said in a conference call arranged by the Democratic National Committee. "He's probably not going talk about the time Trump mocked a reporter with a disability, or the time he refused to disavow the support of David Duke of the KKK -- four times in one interview."
Pence is scheduled to attend a 4:30 p.m. fundraiser in Newport Beach in Orange County, with attendees making a minimum contribution of $2,700 per person, according to an invitation obtained by the Orange County Register. Attendees who make a $10,000 contribution can have their photo taken with Pence, the newspaper reported.
The Register reported that Pence will attend a fundraiser in the Los Angeles area on Thursday. He is scheduled to speak at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Reagan Library, with the $65 admission fee including the speech and an 11:15 a.m. buffet lunch.
