ELECTIONS / 16TH SENATE DISTRICT : Special State Senate Race Seen as Toss-Up by Candidates

Less than a year after he was defeated in a San Fernando Valley congressional district, Republican Phillip D. Wyman is battling Democratic Assemblyman Jim Costa in Tuesday’s low-key special state Senate election.

In his bid for a political comeback in the 16th Senate District, former Assemblyman Wyman of Tehachapi is banking on support from conservative voters in the sparsely populated eastern Antelope Valley and the Bakersfield area--which he represented in the Assembly.

Costa, a horseback-riding lawmaker from the state’s agricultural heartland, is heading down a less familiar campaign trail as he seeks to round up a big voter turnout in Pasadena and Altadena.

Costa, a veteran lawmaker from rural Hanford, needs strong support from these areas to have any hope of winning in the district, which stretches from the edge of the Rose Bowl to Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley.

And to attract area Democrats to the polls in Tuesday’s low-key special election, Costa is playing his party’s top card: Bill Clinton.

Trying to capitalize on Clinton’s perceived popularity in heavily Democratic and African-American precincts in the San Gabriel part of the district, Costa has mailed out appeals from the President.

Wyman views the Bakersfield area as the key to his chances, and he has been beaming television advertisements there from his own big-name backers: former U.S. drug czar William Bennett and unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Herschensohn. In addition, the state’s top two Republican elected officials, Gov. Pete Wilson and Atty. Gen. Daniel Lungren, have stumped for Wyman.

As the campaign comes down to the wire, both sides say they view it as a toss-up.

Wyman and Costa, both elected to the Assembly in 1978, have long been considered potential candidates for higher office.

In 1992, Wyman did not run for reelection but instead unsuccessfully sought a new congressional seat that stretches from the Santa Clarita Valley to the Mojave Desert. He lost the Republican nomination to Howard P. (Buck) McKeon, who went on to win the general election.

Costa, 41, narrowly edged Wyman, 48, in a primary election last month that featured 11 candidates on the ballot. But since no one received more than 50% of the votes, Costa, the highest Democratic vote-getter, and Wyman, the top Republican finisher, were thrown into Tuesday’s runoff to replace former Sen. Don Rogers (R-Tehachapi).

After legislative districts were redrawn following the 1990 census, Rogers last year ran and won another Senate district, leaving about 19 months remaining on the four-year term for his old seat. Rogers’ 17th District seat includes the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

The two candidates are receiving substantial financial support from their respective parties. Costa has reported contributions of nearly $600,000, including $120,000 from the California Democratic Party for mailers. Through the middle of the month, Wyman reported $240,000 in contributions, including $68,000 from the California Republican Party for postage and printing costs.