I’ve received in the mail a combination legislative update/re-election pitch from Democrat Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, who is running for a seventh term in the state senate. Imagine how puzzled I was to read in the piece, titled “Ellie Kinnaird: Report From the Legislature, March 2008,” this description of the upcoming legislative session (emphasis is mine):

This session primarily serves as time to adjust the biennial budget we passed last year in the ‘long’ session. Because we passed a conservative budget (we cannot run a deficit by law), and due to additional revenues, this year we have a cushion in case of unexpected needs.

Based on data, I take issue with the characterization of the state budget as “conservative.” As noted by JLF Fiscal Policy Analyst Joe Coletti in a recent issue of The Locke Letter, the $20.7 billion state budget for fiscal year 2007-2008 hikes general fund expenditures by $1.8 billion. That’s a 9.5 percent increase over the 2006-2007 year. The $20.7 billion budget represents a 43 percent increase in spending in just five years.

Sen. Kinnaird faces a Democrat primary challenge from long-time Orange County Commissioner Moses Carey, a well-known and respected resident of District 23. His biography and platfrom can be found here. Kinnaird and Carey are scheduled to debate on April 9.

There is no GOP primary race as only one Republican filed — Jon (Greg) Bass. The winner from the Kinnaird/Carey race will face Mr. Bass in the general election. I’m not able to find a web site for Mr. Bass, but this Courier-Times story gives a bit of his bio and reason for running.