Candidates for Cox's seat have one week to file
Special primary election, scheduled for Oct. 4, should spark battle for crossover votes.
By Alicia Robinson, Daily Pilot

Candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives seat left open by newly confirmed Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Chris Cox have just one week to file papers to run in a special primary election scheduled for Oct. 4, a spokesman for the Orange County Registrar of Voters said Monday.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger chose Dec. 6 as the date for the general election to fill the 48th District Congressional seat, which represents Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and more southerly parts of Orange County. If no candidate takes more than 50% of the primary vote, a general election will be held, with each party's top vote-getter on the ballot.

advertisement

Candidates have until Aug. 22 to file papers to run. They must either pay a filing fee of $1,621; gather at least 3,000 voters' signatures if they're a Republican or Democrat; or gather 150 signatures from within their party if they're running on a minor party ticket, said Brett Rowley, spokesman for the Orange County registrar.

People who have already announced their intention to run include Republicans Marilyn Brewer, John Campbell and Edward Suppe; Democrats John Graham and Steve Young; and Green Party candidate Beatrice Tiritilli.

American Independent Party member James Gilchrist has taken the necessary paperwork from the registrar, and a campaign volunteer said Gilchrist will decide in the next few days whether to run. Republican Don Udall said Monday he'll pay the filing fee but is waiting to see how much money he can raise before he commits to campaigning. Republican Bob Dornan also has said he's considering joining the race.

In the primary, voters can choose any candidate regardless of their party registration, so the battle for crossover votes should be heated.

As the list of candidates firms up in the next week, campaign issues will start to come to the forefront. With candidates all over the political spectrum and Campbell and Brewer slugging it out for GOP support, voters can expect to hear about the Iraq war, illegal immigration, abortion rights and stem cell research.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is not a race about individual candidates or political parties," said Graham, a business professor at UC Irvine who ran against Cox three times. "This is all about criticizing [President] Bush's policy in Iraq, and this is an opportunity for the people of Orange County to tell George Bush how they feel about the mess he's created in Iraq."

Campbell, a state senator who served two terms in the Assembly, will be one choice for those who disagree with Graham.

"I'm a very strong supporter of President Bush's foreign policy strategy in general and the war on terror and the war in Iraq, which is going much better than most people think," he said.

With Gilchrist in the race, the country's immigration policy is sure to come up. Gilchrist founded the Minuteman Project, which organized volunteer patrols of the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Obviously, his main focus as founder of the Minutemen has been immigration law enforcement, and that's going to continue to be a very big issue with Jim Gilchrist," said Tom Hoefling, a campaign consultant who's volunteering for Gilchrist.

Brewer, who was in the Assembly from 1994 to 2000, will stress her record as a legislator, campaign consultant Harvey Englander said. That includes pointing out her support for abortion rights and stem cell research -- issues she has used to set herself apart from Campbell, whom some consider the front-runner.

Turnout for special elections is generally low, and much of this race will probably be fought by direct mail. But Brewer on Monday called for at least three face-to-face debates that include all candidates.

"All the voters are going to be able to vote in the primary, so we think they should all have an opportunity to participate in the debates," Englander said.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at alicia.robinson@latimes.com.

http://www.dailypilot.com/front/story/2 ... 0649c.html

GO JIM GO