GOP Edge Defeated Them, Women Say

Challengers for three state Senate seats in the San Gabriel Valley said that being women candidates was not a drawback and attributed their defeats to the Republican registration edge in their districts.

Two candidates, Sandy Hester and Janice Graham, also said they would have done better had the Democratic Party offered more financial and technical support to their campaigns.

Hester, a Claremont resident, lost to Assemblyman Bill Leonard (R-Redlands) in the 25th District. Competing for an open seat because of Sen. H. L. Richardson’s retirement, Hester captured 93,259 votes to Leonard’s 181,060.

Graham, who was running against Sen. William Campbell (R-Hacienda Heights) for the 31st District seat, lost to the three-term incumbent, 85,953 to 189,463.

The third Senate challenger, Louise Gelber of Arcadia, was defeated in the 21st District, capturing 74,109 votes to 178,977 for Sen. Newton R. Russell (R-Glendale).

Women’s Support Group

During the campaign, the three joined two other women state Senate candidates to form a support group called Double Your Power. All five lost in Tuesday’s election. The members, who met weekly to share campaign strategy, held a joint fund-raiser and split the money five ways.

Had the members won, they would have increased the number of women state senators in California to eight out of 40.

“It helped us psychologically,” Graham said of the support group.

Heavily GOP Districts

But the three women challengers in the San Gabriel Valley were Democrats running in heavily Republican districts, and Graham and Gelber faced even tougher races because they were running against incumbents, who historically have a better chance of winning.

“The voter registration in the district favors the Republican Party,” said Hester, whose district is 55% Republican. Her district covers 30,000 square miles in three counties, including communities stretching east from Azusa to the Arizona border.

In Gelber’s district, which covers three counties stretching from Bradbury in the San Gabriel Valley to the Kern County line near Palmdale, Republicans outnumber Democrats 55% to 35%.

In Graham’s district, which includes communities such as West Covina, Walnut, Diamond Bar in Los Angeles County and parts of Orange County, Republicans have a 53% to 47% edge over Democrats.

Too Little, Too Late

While Gelber, 66, said that the Democratic Party did all it could to help with her campaign, Hester and Graham criticized the party for not coming through with more financial help. What little they got came too late, they said.

For example, Hester said she received only $750 from the party, and the check came the day before Election Day.

“That was very disappointing,” said Hester, 45. “It takes money to communicate to the constituents.”

Graham agreed: “I think if we had been better funded, we might have been able to get the information (about their opponents’ voting records) out sooner.”

Hester, running for an open seat rather than against an incumbent, had the best chances of the three to win a Senate seat. For that reason, she said, she expected more help from the Democratic Party.

Gelber has not made plans for another try for elective office, but Hester and Graham both said they will be back.

“I’m disappointed, but I’m not defeated,” said Hester.