April Vote Set as Democrats Jockey to Fill Tucker Seat

Gov. George Deukmejian announced Thursday that a special election for the vacant 50th Assembly District seat of the late Curtis R. Tucker will be held April 11, with a runoff election June 6 if necessary.

The announcement sets the stage for what promises to be an all-out political battle in a key black, Democratic district. Already, the rare opportunity of an open Assembly seat has candidates, potential candidates and party leaders maneuvering for position.

Tucker, the longtime patriarch of Inglewood politics and a 14-year Assembly veteran, died in October. But voters nonetheless gave him a convincing Nov. 8 victory over Republican challenger Michael Davis, leaving the seat empty and forcing the special election.

Son May Run

Democrats who have expressed interest in running include Curtis Tucker Jr., the assemblyman’s son and an aide to Assemblywoman Gwen Moore (D-Los Angeles); Inglewood Mayor Edward Vincent; Inglewood Councilman Daniel Tabor, who ran unsuccessfully against the elder Tucker in the June primary; Inglewood school board member Lois Hill-Hale and veteran political consultant Roderick Wright. Other possible candidates are Los Angeles Councilman Robert Farrell and Ed Johnson, an aide to Rep. Julian C. Dixon (D-Los Angeles).

No Republicans have expressed an interest in the special election, presumably because 77% of the voters in the district are registered as Democrats.

If no one emerges from the primary with more than 50% of the vote, the top vote-getters will face off in June.

Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco), whose endorsement is considered all-important because of the political and fund-raising clout it bestows, has said several times in past months that he would back the younger Tucker, whose father was a close Brown ally.

On Thursday, Tucker said he remains confident of Brown’s support after meeting with the Speaker this week. But other candidates say they will seek the backing of Brown and other leading Democrats and complained that Tucker is not entitled to the seat merely because of his name.

Tucker said: “We’re not going to worry about what the other candidates are doing. We’re going to take the high road. We’re going to talk issues and let the voters make an informed choice.”

Tucker, who has never run for office, said the election date benefits him because the governor could have consolidated the election with Inglewood city and school elections April 4, possibly boosting turnout for Inglewood officials Vincent, Tabor and Hill-Hale. Instead, the April 11 election will coincide with Los Angeles city and school elections.

Vincent Seeks Endorsements

Vincent, who has said several times that he plans to run and has begun seeking endorsements, is considered a strong candidate because of the voting and fund-raising base he has cultivated during two terms as mayor. The district encompasses Inglewood, El Segundo, Westchester, Lennox and parts of South-Central Los Angeles.

Farrell, whose Los Angeles council district overlaps the Los Angeles section of the Assembly district, is another potentially strong candidate. But he has not said whether he will seek the office and could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Tabor, Hill-Hale and Wright are all considered candidates with support among some Democratic leaders, but they would have to overcome apparent weaknesses in fund raising and name recognition if Brown’s commitment to Tucker remains firm. They are all said to have made overtures to black Democratic leaders such as Assemblywoman Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and state Sen. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles). Watson, for whom Hill-Hale served as chief deputy, has said she would like the community to unite behind a candidate before she takes a position.

Wright, a veteran consultant in black politics, said he hopes Brown, Waters and members of the Assembly’s Democratic caucus will assess all of the candidates before making any endorsements.

“That would be healthy,” he said. “All of us basically come from the same political bent. They should look at our varying degrees of experience and political participation.”

Johnson, an Inglewood resident and longtime Dixon aide, said Thursday that he had not decided whether he will run. If he does, he said, he will have the support of Dixon.