Leibham hits Bilbray on environment, makes pitch for Gore fundraiser

SOLANA BEACH – Democratic congressional candidate Nick Leibham hit his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray, on a number of environmental issues in front of a friendly crowd at a Sierra Club event in this wealthy San Diego suburb Tuesday night.
 
Leibham, of Rancho Santa Fe, showcased an intimate knowledge of local environmental issues and painted Bilbray, of Carlsbad, as an anti-conservationist.
 
In the Republican-leaning 50th Congressional District, Leibham must attract disaffected Republicans, along with a healthy majority of independents, to take down the incumbent.
 
"This is right in Nick's wheelhouse," said Leibham spokesman Alec Evans. "These are Republicans that we can get very easily."
 
Leibham's focus on energy independence and conservation helped convince Al Gore to headline a fundraiser later this month. "It's because this is a central pillar of my campaign," Leibham said of Gore's decision to lend support, "and because Brian Bilbray's so bad at it." Leibham encouraged the receptive crowd to attend the Sept. 20 event, describing Gore's new campaign push as "Inconvenient Truth: Part II."
 
As of June 30, Leibham had raised just more than $560,000, more than half of which was saved for the campaign's final stretch. Still, those numbers were dwarfed by Bilbray, who had raised over $890,000 and began the summer with $528,000 cash on hand.
 
This financial disparity between the two highlights the importance of the Gore event. The Leibham campaign expects to raise at least $300,000, a one-night influx that would more than double the campaign's coffers.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the Al Gore fundraiser is Sept. 25.  It is on Sept. 20, and the article has been updated.