San Diego County Elections : GOP Conservative-Moderate Feud a Stalemate : Power: Right and moderate Republican camps in the county each claim two winners in state Assembly races.

After months of debate and Gov. Pete Wilson’s intervention had made it a major subplot in this week’s primaries, the much-awaited showdown between the Republican Party’s feuding conservative and moderate factions appears to have ended in a standoff in San Diego.

With one race still close enough that uncounted absentee and write-in votes could alter the outcome, four closely watched state Assembly contests appear to have ended in an inconclusive two-two split between ultra-conservatives and GOP moderates.

“Maybe all we learned is that this ideological split in the party is real,” said Jeff Marston, who won a convincing 2 1/2-to-1 victory over Christian political activist Dan Van Tieghem in the 78th Assembly District. “There wasn’t a clear-cut winner this week, so that split may be with us for a while.”

In the three other moderate-versus-conservative matchups, Poway Mayor Jan Goldsmith trounced anti-abortion activist Connie Youngkin in the 75th District, conservative Dick Daleke led former Del Mar Mayor Ronnie Delaney in the 76th District, and longtime conservative organizer Steve Baldwin outpolled former Chula Vista Mayor Greg Cox in the 77th District.

Daleke’s lead over Delaney, however, remained at a fragile 774 votes Wednesday--13,482 to 12,708--producing uncomfortable moments for both candidates as they await the tabulation of the remaining 53,500 uncounted ballots. It was not known Wednesday how many of those absentee and write-in votes were cast in the 76th District, in which Naval Reserve Officer Charles Ledbetter finished a distant third.

If the four Assembly races’ results remain unchanged, however, the primary will have given GOP conservatives and moderates alike cause to be both encouraged and concerned as they look forward to November, when dozens of far-right candidates are expected to be on the ballot in contests for school boards and other low-level community posts.

“Even though it seems to have been pretty much an even split, Tuesday should be a wake-up call to mainstream voters to pay more attention in November,” said Rita Collier, head of the Mainstream Voters Project, a San Diego-based group that publicizes the activities of candidates whom it considers extremists.

Far-right conservatives, meanwhile, were heartened by the fact that they apparently won two of four Assembly contests in which Wilson had strongly backed moderates. In each race, the candidates differed on most major issues, including the politically volatile topic of abortion, with the moderates supporting abortion rights and the conservatives opposing them.

“With the governor trying to use his clout to push his candidates over the top, we’re very glad that our candidates hung on and got several victories,” said Michaelene Jenkins, director of the San Diego office of the California Pro-Life Council. “This shows that there are a large number of people who support the rights of the unborn.”

Late last month Wilson had endorsed Goldsmith, Delaney, Baldwin and Marston, using his personal political prestige--backed up, in several races, with sizable campaign contributions--to try to turn back the conservative challenge in the four districts.

Wilson’s entry into the primaries, a marked departure from the hands-off policy of former Republican Gov. George Deukmejian, crystalized the stakes in Tuesday’s election, which was widely seen as a major battle that could tip the balance of power in the growing rift within his party.

Absent a sweep by either faction, however, Tuesday’s results were regarded within political circles as simply the first inconclusive skirmish in what could be a yearlong political war.

“I’m not sure we can draw a larger, cosmic message from this,” said Cox campaign consultant John Kern. “The districts are different, and the candidates themselves are different. And, after all was said and done, it was a tie.”

Baldwin, however, characterized the primary as a victory for the GOP’s right wing, noting that “San Diego probably is going to send two real good solid conservatives to Sacramento for the first time ever.” The results, he added, illustrate the “motivating force” behind the so-called “Christian right’s” anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti-tax and anti-gay rights agenda.

Some local Democratic leaders, though, were pleased with the far-right candidates’ victories, believing that it could enhance their chances this fall by attracting crossover votes from pro-choice Republicans and other moderate groups.

“I’m much happier to be running against Baldwin than Cox,” said Democrat Tom Connolly, who will be Baldwin’s major November opponent. “I think Cox’s supporters are ideologically closer to me than to Baldwin. The question is, is ideology sufficiently important for Republicans to cross party lines? I think it is.”