In Politics, Hallowed Be the Name : Voting: Name-recognition is crucial, as a former Los Angeles elected official discovered.

One of the most interesting results in last November’s local balloting was the election of Kenneth P. Hahn as Los Angeles County assessor. A long-time veteran of the county assessor’s office, Hahn surprised everyone by unseating his former boss, John Lynch. Lynch had been assessor for years, and his seat had been considered a lock.

But none of the prognosticators focused on the name of Lynch’s challenger. Between Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, and his son, City Atty. James Hahn, the Hahn name is like a mini-version of the Kennedy name in Los Angeles. So powerful is the name that the obscure candidate, spending almost nothing, forced Lynch into a runoff.

Although Lynch spent a small fortune, called out political heavyweights to back him and even sent out literature making clear that this Hahn was no relation to Supervisor or City Atty. Hahn, the Kenneth P. Hahn juggernaut was unstoppable.

But the story gets more interesting. Now it turns out that Assessor Hahn, as he says, happens to be gay. That makes Hahn, as he was introduced at the West Hollywood annual Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade on June 24, the “senior-most elected openly gay official in Los Angeles”--and perhaps in the state. Voters unwittingly did a progressive, positive thing.

The fact that Hahn won because of his name seems perfectly fair. After all, Lynch would normally have won because of his name--his incumbency, and the name recognition that comes with that--rather than any particular satisfaction over the way he did his job. How many voters had any idea how Lynch was doing as assessor when they reelected him time and again? So why shouldn’t Hahn win because he has an even more familiar name, albeit only because it also belongs to other elected officials? All’s fair in superficial voting.

What lessons are there in this episode? Of course, this is undeniable evidence of what is already quite clear--voters give little thought to the voting process, and name recognition means everything. No one can dispute that it was this odd twist of fate that distinguished Assessor Hahn’s bid from the countless others by dark-horse upstarts against well-entrenched incumbents. Were it not for the Hahn name, it is likely that Lynch would still be assessor. This was a case of mistaken identity.

It also suggests a new campaign strategy for the ‘90s--the name change. Hahn has proved that, in the right circumstances, the right name means even more than incumbency and the largest campaign war chest. Candidates already change their positions routinely on issues. Why not take the next step? Would a man claiming the moniker John F. Kennedy Jr. knock off Assessor Hahn next time? How about a woman named Clara Molina?

But the election has its positive sides. The campaign, first of all, reflects that the political process has matured on one level. To their credit, Lynch and his campaign were apparently well-aware of Hahn’s sexual preference; no attempt was made to turn that into an issue. Nor did Hahn. Sexual preference was not an issue at all. It is hard to imagine this just a few years ago. This alone is a step forward, although there were really no issues in this race.

Similarly, the result gives Hahn an opportunity to prove that sexual preference is a non-issue. He has a rare chance to show the obvious--that sexual orientation has nothing to do with ability to do the job.

If Hahn is effective and competent as assessor, and the most qualified candidate, one hopes that the voters will reelect him--unless, of course, a woman named Madonna decides to run.