ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Over Before It Begins?

Few seasoned political observers will be shocked that an important special election March 2 in Orange County appears virtually decided after this week’s filing date. But if the 32nd State Senate District race amounts to business as usual, that cannot be very good news for the process of local democracy.

There are a handful of Democratic candidates in the field to succeed former state Sen. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton), who was elected to Congress last November. Theoretically, they have their opportunity to be heard in a race where voters can cross party lines.

But in practice, those who usually vote in such county special elections are conservative Republicans. And there is only one candidate now on the GOP side of the aisle. The real story in this race is the retreat of potential Republican challengers, both moderate and conservative, in the face of seeming inevitability.

Potential comers were put on notice by one well-heeled, archconservative Republican candidate, Rob Hurtt.

Hurtt is a Garden Grove businessman who has never held public office. But he now has backing of prominent GOP conservatives and, most important, he has said he will pour hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money into the campaign.

The virtual purchasing of elections is just the kind of thing that turns people off to the political process. It’s too bad that other GOP hopefuls were put off by the big dollars.