CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS: 73RD ASSEMBLY DISTRICT : With No Incumbent, GOP Candidates Punch at Air

In this era of antipathy toward political insiders, the race for the 73rd Assembly District seat in Orange County has presented its eight Republican candidates with a peculiar difficulty: There is no incumbent to pick on.

The fight for the 73rd District, which sprawls along the coast from southern Orange County to northern San Diego County, became a free-for-all after longtime Assemblyman Robert C. Frazee (R-Carlsbad) opted to run in another district to the south.

The herd of hopefuls in the district is emblematic of the wide-open political climate created statewide by the reapportionment process. The plan adopted last year by the state Supreme Court scrambled the political jigsaw puzzle; now, nearly one of three Assembly districts in California is without an incumbent. The shake-up has also produced a record number of candidates in state races this spring.

With the GOP holding nearly a 2-1 registration edge over Democrats in the 73rd District, the Republican candidate still standing after June 2 will be the heavy favorite in the November election.

But despite the crowded field, few teeth have been bared so far. With no incumbent to swarm against, the candidates have simply tried to stake their territory on the issues.

At the top of the priority list for nearly all of the Republican candidates is the state’s budget crisis. They also want to keep business from fleeing California. Welfare reform is a biggie. Most promise to give the little guy a voice in how they govern. A majority would rather be considered problem-solvers than politicians.

The lack of an incumbent has drawn a number of city officials into the race, including Dana Point Mayor Mike Eggers, Laguna Niguel Councilwoman Pat Bates, Carlsbad Mayor Claude (Bud) Lewis and Oceanside Councilman Sam Williamson. Joining them are attorneys Bill Morrow of Oceanside and Carlos Negrete of San Juan Capistrano. Rounding out the field are Saddleback Community College Trustee Iris Swanson and Bill Jay, a math professor at the college.

So far, none of the candidates has raised much money. With the recession cutting back on campaign contributions, the closest thing to a political war chest is the $17,000 balance Bates reported two weeks ago. Eggers, meanwhile, had nearly $9,000 on hand at last report, while Negrete was more than $6,000 in debt.

The dearth of dollars has not kept any of the Republicans from talking big. Most are hoping to spend more than $150,000 between now and June. One campaign consultant predicted it could take as much as $300,000 to win the primary.

Geography also promises to play a role in the outcome of the race.

The 73rd, newly created from parts of two other districts under reapportionment, stretches from Dana Point and Laguna Niguel on the north to Carlsbad on the south. In between is the massive Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base.

Candidates from San Diego County are mostly unknown north of the San Onofre checkpoint. Orange County contenders could fare equally poorly to the south.

If there is an edge on paper, it would seem to go to candidates in Orange County, which has 60% of the district’s voters.

That advantage has brought great glee to longtime residents of Orange County’s southern flank irked by decades of representation by San Diego County politicians. But it might not work as expected. The five Orange County candidates in the GOP primary could divide the vote, opening the door for a strong candidate from the south.