Capizzi Holds Narrow Lead Over Enright in O.C. Dist. Atty. Runoff : Office rivalry: The race was a hard-fought one that focused as much on style as on substance.

In the hard-fought race for Orange County district attorney, appointed incumbent Michael R. Capizzi had a slim lead over longtime office rival James G. Enright in early returns Tuesday.

Capizzi, named chief assistant in 1986, was appointed district attorney by the Board of Supervisors earlier this year after former Dist. Atty. Cecil Hicks resigned to become a judge.

Capizzi, who had been Hicks’ protege since the early 1970s, led Hicks’ drive against political corruption in Orange County. More than 40 politicians were indicted, and those convicted included two county supervisors and a congressman. Many believe that Hicks, who recommended Capizzi as his replacement, left the job early to give Capizzi a leg up in the 1990 election.

Enright has served as the office’s chief deputy for more than two decades, but for years he has been unhappy as his stature in the office declined and Capizzi’s rose.

Enright decided in March at the last minute to enter the contest, and he forced Tuesday’s runoff by placing second to Capizzi in the June primary.

Enright said at his election-night headquarters Tuesday that watching the early returns was like “waiting for a jury to return. I feel that same uncertainty.”

The race between the two focused as much on style as on substance.

Capizzi, 50, denounced his opponent as a man who lacked the administrative ability to lead the office effectively.

Enright, 63, countered by calling Capizzi an upstart who over the years did more to polish his image with politicians than to prosecute crimes effectively.

Those sorts of exchanges surfaced repeatedly during the campaign, generating intrigue in a race that otherwise failed to capture the attention of the public. A Los Angeles Times poll found that even in the waning days, 48% of voters were still undecided.

Many campaign watchers inside the district attorney’s office were speculating before election day that as the appointed incumbent, Capizzi would be the choice of a greater number of undecided voters. Moreover, Capizzi had amassed a campaign war chest of about $263,000, more than triple that of Enright, who had about $80,000.

In public statements, the two men seemed to have difficulty hiding their dislike for each another. Enright said that, should he win, Capizzi would be out. Capizzi was more reticent about discussing Enright’s future in a Capizzi administration.

Last week, Capizzi lashed out at Enright, alleging in a press release that Enright was trying to blackmail him by publicizing a deputy district attorney’s claims that Capizzi wrongly passed him over for promotion. The deputy, Thomas Avdeef, is a political foe of Capizzi.

Enright countered that he had nothing to do with Avdeef’s efforts to win a promotion and called the allegations “absolutely absurd.”

Aside from such flare-ups, the two stuck by familiar campaign themes.

Capizzi emphasized his accomplishments and strong list of endorsements. Enright, meanwhile, tried to paint a sharp contrast by describing himself as a courtroom prosecutor and his opponent as a mere administrator. Enright also tried to label Capizzi “the politicians’ candidate,” a tactic the incumbent called a cheap shot. Capizzi was also irked that Enright criticized some of his decisions as Orange County’s chief prosecutor.