GOP State Sen. Wright to Run for Lt. Governor

State Sen. Cathie Wright, a blunt-spoken conservative Republican from Simi Valley who has spent 13 years in the Legislature, announced her candidacy Tuesday for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.

“I’m a strong Republican woman and a conservative, and I think the Republican Party would like to see a balanced ticket,” Wright, 64, said. “I think I would be a big help to the governor’s office.”

Wright said many of her friends and supporters urged her to run for the $90,000-a-year post being vacated in 1994 by Democratic Lt. Gov. Leo T. McCarthy of San Francisco. She noted that she has nothing to lose because if she is defeated, she has three years remaining on her term in the state Senate.

“I can run more relaxed,” she said. “I’m not running like my life depends on it.”

Wright is likely to face several Republicans in the June primary. Assemblyman Stan Statham (R-Redding), who has proposed to split California into three states, announced his candidacy in September, while onetime pop star and former Palm Springs Mayor Sonny Bono is also expected to enter the race.

On the Democratic side, two-term state Controller Gray Davis has said he will run.

Wright, a former mayor of Simi Valley, was first elected to the Assembly in 1980 and subsequently reelected five times. During her years in the Assembly, she became the first woman to serve as vice chairwoman of the powerful Assembly Committee on Ways and Means.

In 1992, Wright won her bid for the 19th Senate District seat, but only after a tough three-way primary race in which she collected only 38% of the vote. Her key opponent, former Assemblywoman Marian W. La Follette (R-Granada Hills), received 33.4%.

Statham said he did not believe Wright’s ultraconservative views or even her gender would be an advantage in securing the GOP nomination. He noted that she is opposed to abortion, while he favors abortion rights.

Wright, who is well known in the Legislative for her combative style, called Statham “a one-issue candidate,” referring to his proposal to split California.

“Why does he want to run for lieutenant governor of the state if he’s going to split it up?” she said.