Absentee Vote Holds Key to 76th Race : Pro-Choice Hunter Takes Slim Lead; Correia in Runoff

In a race widely viewed as a referendum on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent abortion ruling, nurse Tricia Hunter, a pro-choice Republican, apparently pulled off a stunning upset to capture Tuesday’s primary in a special state Assembly contest that could provide a prelude to the 1990 elections.

Final unofficial vote totals showed that Hunter, a Bonita nurse whose pro-choice stance attracted traditional Democratic support in the heavily Republican 76th District, edged fellow GOP candidate Dick Lyles by 212 votes out of the 48,031 ballots cast--14,658 to 14,446--to qualify for an Oct. 3 runoff against Democrat Jeannine Correia.

However, officials in the San Diego County voter registrar’s office said late Tuesday night that about 500 absentee ballots that were dropped off at the polls on Election Day may not be counted until Thursday. Lyles, who outpolled Hunter by about a 3-to-2 margin among the absentee votes that were counted, conceivably could make up the 212-vote differential if he runs exceptionally strong among those final 500 ballots. In addition, because of the closeness of the election, a recount is all but certain.

1st Race Since Decision

With Tuesday’s primary being among the first state legislative contests in the nation since the Supreme Court gave the states new powers to regulate abortions, pro-choice groups had hoped that a Hunter victory in the conservative San Diego-Riverside County district would send a message to politicians across the country.

Though anti-abortion groups resisted framing the race as a test of the political fallout from the court’s ruling, they nevertheless aggressively backed Lyles and several other candidates--bringing national attention to an otherwise obscure campaign to elect a successor to the late Bill Bradley (R-Escondido).

Because of the primary’s peculiar format, Correia qualified for the runoff despite finishing fifth in the eight-candidate field and having been outpolled by Lyles by nearly 5 to 1. Although all candidates of all parties appeared on the same primary ballot, the rules governing the election specified that, if no one received more than 50%, the top Republican and top Democratic vote-getters would face each other in the runoff.

In a campaign marked by few philosophical differences, the abortion issue rose to prominence, not only because the election so closely followed the Supreme Court’s decision, but also because the issue illuminated distinctions among the three major Republicans in the eight-candidate field--Hunter, Poway businessman Lyles and Poway City Councilwoman Linda Brannon. (Ten names appeared on the ballot, but two Republicans dropped out of the race and endorsed other candidates.)

Only Pro-Choice Republican in Race

Of the three, only Hunter is pro-choice--a factor that skewed normal political alliances by attracting support that typically goes to Democrats. Because of the unusual procedures governing special elections, Democrats also could vote for Hunter, who courted that crossover vote--prompting Lyles and others to question her GOP credentials in the race’s increasingly acrimonious closing days.

Lyles adhered to the anti-abortion position that life begins at conception, enabling him to largely monopolize support from anti-abortion groups, though some backing went to other Republicans. Brannon, hoping to carve out a middle ground, described herself as a “pro-responsibility” candidate who is personally opposed to abortion but willing to support abortions under more limited circumstances than they are now available.

For pro-choice activists, the race offered an unusual chance to gain an ally in a staunchly conservative district that stretches from the South Bay to northeastern San Diego County and into the desert communities of Riverside County. “If we can win in this district, we can win anywhere,” said Robin Schneider, director of the California Abortion Rights Action League’s Southern California chapter.

In contrast, anti-abortion groups hoped to use a victory by Lyles or one of the other ideologically similar Republicans to challenge pro-choicers’ oft-stated contention that their position is the majority one.

While crime, growth and myriad other topics were debated during the campaign, many of the candidates and their advisers agreed that the abortion issue could be one of the few powerful motivations drawing people to the polls in an election in which turnout was only about 20%.

Although Hunter’s apparent victory is certain to encourage pro-choice activists as they prepare for next year’s state and national elections, Hunter stressed in a brief victory statement Tuesday night that the abortion issue was only one factor in the race.

“The voters in this district were concerned about many more issues than that one,” she said. However, she added that Tuesday’s results demonstrate that other candidates “are going to have to wrestle” with the abortion issue next year.

The bitterness that marked the race’s closing days provided a kind of political symmetry to the 76th District campaign, which began on the low road with the front-runner being accused of dancing on the grave of the late incumbent.

At the outset of the eight-week campaign, Lyles, a 42-year-old management consultant and longtime Republican activist, was viewed as the candidate to beat, a tribute to nearly four years of on-and-off planning that began in 1985 when Bradley discovered that he had cancer.

Though Lyles insisted that his campaign-in-waiting had Bradley’s blessing, Bradley’s inner circle disputed that contention, creating an issue that dogged Lyles throughout the race. When, late in the campaign, Lyles was accused of overstating his educational and military background, some opponents used the controversy to further question Lyles’ integrity.

Nevertheless, the early start gave Lyles a significant organizational edge over his opponents, and his past work on behalf of other GOP candidates left him with valuable IOUs that helped attract endorsements and contributions from San Diego, Sacramento and Washington.

Hunter, meanwhile, began the race as one of the several credible but unknown candidates mired in the middle of the pack, where she likely would have remained had the abortion issue not emerged as a pivotal factor.

With her pro-choice position drawing nearly $100,000 from the California Nurses Assn. and support from other groups that typically back Democrats, Hunter experienced a meteoric rise in name recognition that threatened Lyles’ front-runner status. Proof of her rising political fortunes could be found in the increasing frequency with which Lyles’ strategists, who initially viewed Brannon as their major obstacle, singled out Hunter for caustic--and, she protested, often inaccurate--criticism in the final weeks.

“In the beginning, no one paid much attention to me,” said the 37-year-old Hunter, who is president of the State Nursing Board, a body to which she was appointed by Gov. George Deukmejian in 1983. “Now, they’re sure acting scared of me. When you’re the No. 1 target, I guess that tells you something.”

As Lyles and Hunter traded charges and countercharges, Brannon managed to stay largely out of the line of fire, hoping that her two major GOP opponents’ sniping might neutralize each other, enabling her to slip past them into the runoff.

Trying to fine a niche in the crowded field, the 42-year-old Brannon, a member of the Poway City Council for the past 2 1/2 years, emphasized in her standard stump speech that she was the only candidate with experience in elective public office. That factor figured prominently in her endorsement by several major newspapers and some moderate members of the Republican Assembly caucus.

Two other Republicans from Escondido--state Senate aide Dennis Koolhaas and San Diego Police Lt. Bill Hoover--also mounted strong campaigns.

Election Results

76th Assembly District

331 of 331 Precincts Reporting

Votes % Hunter,R 14,658 30.9 Lyles,R 14,446 30.5 Koolhaas,R 4,874 10.3 Brannon,R 4,180 8.8 Correia,D 3,186 6.7 Hoover,R 3,000 6.3 Thorne,D 1,256 2.7 Foster,R 916 1.9 *Richardson,R 650 1.4 *Pfeiler,R 220 0.5

* Withdrew from race and endorsed other candidates, but name remained on ballot.