Businessman joins Assembly race; candidates name supporters in another hot contest

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Republican businessman Craig Huey, who spent nearly $2 million of his own money in a special election for Congress earlier this year, said Tuesday that he’ll run for a new South Bay-based Assembly district seat next year.

Huey joins another Republican, aerospace engineer Nathan Mintz , and Torrance school board member Al Muratsuchi, a Democrat, in the race for the 66^th District. Much of the area currently is represented by Assemblywoman Betsy Butler (D-Marina del Rey), who is seeking reelection from a new Westside-based district.

Butler’s current district is strongly Democratic, but the new one, created as a result of statewide redistricting of legislative, congressional and Board of Equalization seats earlier this year, is much more evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, making the race a likely target by both major parties.

Butler and Democratic activist Torie Osborn are battling for the new open 50^th District. This week, Butler added the California League of Conservation Voters to her endorsements list, while Osborn added the Los Angeles College Faculty Guild to hers. Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom also has announced his candidacy for the seat.

--Jean Merl