LOCAL ELECTIONS / DISTRICT ATTORNEY : Capizzi Has Solid Lead, but Fall Runoff Likely

Orange County Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi led three opponents in Tuesday’s race to retain his post, but Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. James G. Enright was running strong enough in second place to probably force a runoff election in November, according to early election returns.

Capizzi held a solid lead over Enright but was still substantially below the 50%-plus-one-vote total he needs to win the election without a runoff.

Assistant Dist. Atty. Edgar A. Freeman and Deputy Dist. Atty. Thomas Avdeef were in a virtual dead heat for third place, but both were well behind Capizzi and Enright. Still, Freeman and Avdeef were garnering nearly one-third of the total vote between them, which increases Enright’s chances of forcing a runoff.

Enright was jubilant at Republican headquarters Tuesday night. “It’s going to be a heck of a race in November,” he said.

This year is the first time in nearly 40 years that Orange County has seen any serious competition for the office of district attorney. Capizzi was appointed by the Board of Supervisors in January to replace Cecil Hicks, who held the office for more than 23 years and was never seriously challenged. Hicks was preceded by Kenneth Williams, who also held the office without major opposition.

Capizzi was disappointed that his early election totals did not secure him the office. He had picked up almost every major endorsement in the county and was the only candidate with a substantial campaign fund, close to $200,000.

However, Capizzi was optimistic that he would win against Enright in the event of a November runoff. “But it’s going to mean a lot of hard work,” he said.

Both Freeman and Avdeef said Tuesday night that if Enright does force a runoff, they will support him against Capizzi.

None of the three prosecutors who now work for Capizzi had expected to beat him in the June primary. Each had wanted to run a strong enough race to be in the top two, hoping to force a runoff. Capizzi, however, had made it clear he expected to end the race in June with a decisive victory over the others.

Each of the four showed differing campaign styles.

Capizzi, 50, relied heavily on his political endorsements and a countywide mailer sent to voters. In public appearances, he refused to talk about his opponents. Instead, he talked about his record.

Enright, 63, who made a last-minute decision in March to enter the race, told voters in speeches that he was the fellow passed over by the supervisors when they made a “back-room political decision” to appoint Capizzi.

Freeman, 63, a longtime friend and loyal supporter of Enright, touted Enright’s qualifications as much as his own. Freeman made it clear that he only entered the race when it appeared that Enright would not.

Avdeef, 48, was the most vocal Capizzi critic on the campaign trail. He lashed out at Capizzi over morale in the office, his ties to the county’s Republican leadership and his refusal to conduct an independent investigation into the Lincoln Savings & Loan Assn. scandal.