An openly gay man on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is leading the money race among four Democratic candidates running for an open state Assembly seat in 2010.

Rich Gordon, 61, who has spent a dozen years on the Peninsula board, reported last week that he had raised $109,433 during the first half of 2009. He is hoping to replace termed out Assemblyman Ira Ruskin (D-Redwood City) in the 21st Assembly District.

Due to the make-up of the district, which covers parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a piece of San Jose, whoever wins the party primary next June is all but assured of being elected to the seat in the November election.

Should Gordon best his opponents, he would be the first openly gay state lawmaker from the Peninsula and expand the number of out politicians in the Legislature to five. Among his endorsers are former openly gay Santa Cruz Assemblyman John Laird and current state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), who chairs the LGBT Legislative Caucus.

According to a list of endorsements Gordon's campaign shared with the Bay Area Reporter, Ruskin has yet to throw his support behind Gordon, whom he has endorsed for county supervisor in the past. So far he has yet to endorse any of the candidates looking to succeed him in the Assembly.

Nor have the Legislature's two openly gay assemblymen, Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) and John Perez (D-Los Angeles) signed onto Gordon's campaign as of yet. Two local gay politicians, Santa Clara Supervisor Ken Yeager and Campbell Vice Mayor Evan Low, are both backing Gordon's bid, as is Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto).

"Rich Gordon has served our community with dignity and distinction. He will be the leader we so desperately need in Sacramento to build consensus, find new solutions, and make our great state golden again," stated Eshoo when Gordon announced his campaign this past March.

Gordon was traveling with his husband, Dr. Dennis McShane , in London this week and could not be reached for comment. According to his campaign Web site, the third generation Californian, born and raised on the Peninsula, wants to head to Sacramento in order to return more fiscal control and policy setting responsibility to local governments.

"I am fully aware of the mess in Sacramento. We must fix the dysfunctional system and make our government accountable to the real needs of our people," states Gordon, who lives in Menlo Park, on the site. "I am confident that I can provide the leadership that is needed for California."

He reportedly plans to raise $400,000 toward his bid for state office and is considered the person to beat in the race. He reported spending $18,809 already, with the bulk of the money going toward his campaign staff.

"The outpouring of support has been terrific considering the primary is a year away," said Gordon's campaign consultant Alex Tourk, owner of Ground Floor Public Affairs in San Francisco. "We are pleased with the support we have garnered to date and are just looking forward to going out and talking to voters one by one."

Trailing close behind Gordon in the money race is Palo Alto City Councilwoman Yoriko Kishimoto, with $67,770 in contributions. But the 53-year-old also loaned her campaign $25,000, according to financial disclosure forms filed with the state.

Also considered competitive are two political newcomers: Stanford grad and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Kai Stinchcombe , 26, whose wife Lilia Tamm is the repeal Prop 8 program director for the Courage Campaign, reported he had $74,838 in cash on hand, while Redwood City attorney Mark Berman , 28, netted $73,869 in donations.

Yeager, who will also be on the June 2010 primary ballot as he seeks re-election, said Gordon's name recognition will be hard to overcome, no matter how much money his opponents raise.

"Clearly, Rich is the best known. His name ID is so high – being an elected official for so many years – that is awfully difficult for an unknown person to overcome regardless of how much money they spend," he said.

Tourk said a new and expanded Gordon campaign site should go live next week at http://www.richgordon2010.com.

Gay man runs for Alameda County supe

Kevin Dowling, a gay man on the Hayward City Council the past 11 years, is also aiming for a higher office and has jumped into the 2010 June race to replace his former boss, retiring Alameda County Supervisor Gail Steele .

The 72-year-old Steele represents District 2, which covers Hayward, Union City, Newark, Sunol, and northern Fremont. Dowling, 46, is believed to be the first openly gay person to run for the board, and should he win, would be the highest ranking out elected official in Alameda County.

"Even though there have been a lot of cutbacks, the county provides a lot of services to the LGBT community, the county has done a lot with the senior community, and I want to see more done," Dowling said of his decision not to seek re-election next June to the city council. "I think some people are worried about me leaving City Hall and not having my voice on that council. But I think most people think this is a logical next step for me."

So far he has raised $30,000 in the last two months, with a goal of raising at least several hundred thousand dollars for his campaign. He has lined up backing from Yeager and openly gay San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty and is hopeful of landing the endorsement of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.

He announced his candidacy in a June 8 fundraising appeal to supporters, explaining he did so a year out because it "will be a very competitive race." He added that it is the first time in 18 years that the seat is up for grabs and that he is giving up his city council seat in order to run because he "is committed to winning this race and serving the people of this county."

Other candidates said to be eyeing Steele's seat include Hayward resident Nadia Lockyer, executive director of the Alameda County Family Justice Center who is married to state Treasurer Bill Lockyer; California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board member and former state Senator Liz Figueroa (D-Sunol); and Union City Mayor Mark Green, who lost to Steele in 1998.

His Web site, http://www.dowlingforsupervisor.com, will go live by the end of August and Dowling plans to officially kick-off his campaign with an event on September 30.

"I have the experience, vision, and passion to improve quality of life for Alameda County residents," wrote Dowling, who has been with his partner, Mike Koller, one year. "I am a lifelong Hayward resident, and attended local schools. I have 10 years experience in county government, having worked for County Supervisors Gail Steele and Alice Lai-Bitker ."

Vallejo resident runs for school board

The Most Reverend Lou A. Bordisso , the openly gay presiding bishop of the American Catholic Church-Diocese of California, is running for a seat on the Vallejo school board this November.

There are three school board seats on the ballot this fall, with at least one up for grabs, as incumbent Daniel Glaze has opted not to seek re-election. The filing deadline for candidates ends Friday, August 7.

A board member of the Mare Island Technology Academy, a 6th through 12th grade charter school in his hometown, Bordisso unsuccessfully ran for a Vallejo City Council seat in 2007. A licensed marriage and family therapist for over 20 years, he also has worked as a school guidance counselor and an instructor for the University of California at Berkeley's Extension Program.

His campaign platform includes cutting administrators' salaries and redirecting more money toward classrooms. He also advocates for keeping class sizes at 20 students per teacher and wants to regain full local control of the school district.

For campaign updates, Bordisso has set up a Twitter account at twitter.com/VoteforBordisso.

Low given state Dem Party post

Low, who himself will be up for re-election to the Campbell City Council in 2010, is now a lead chair of the state finance committee for the California Democratic Party. Former state Senator John Burton, who won election this year as chair of the California Democratic Party, announced the selection of Low for the party post last week.

"I am excited to be part of a phenomenal team and look forward to tapping into the talent of our party. Ensuring that our state Democratic Party stays strong even in this difficult economic climate is a priority," stated Low about the appointment.

He shares chairmanship duties with Hilary Crosby of El Cerrito and Sandra Lowe of Sacramento.

Web Extra: For more queer political news, be sure to check http://www.ebar.com Monday mornings around 10 a.m. for Political Notes, the notebook's online companion. This week's column looks at the ties SF's two gay supes have to Phoenix City Hall.

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Got a tip on LGBT politics? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 861-5019 or e-mail mailto:.