<i> A behind-the-scenes look at Orange County’s political life</i> : Tillotson Ended Run but You Wouldn’t Know It by Debate, Mailers, Ballot

Who’s in, who’s out: Voters in the 67th Assembly District may be confused about who is running in Tuesday’s election--and for good reason. Yes, Haydee Tillotson did drop out in the name of Republican unity, but who could tell that last week, judging by the continuing influx of her mailers, a televised debate taped before her announcement and the fact that her name remains on the ballot?

Since Tillotson’s surprise decision to withdraw was announced Nov. 16, three Tillotson campaign pieces have been distributed in the district, no doubt mailed before her withdrawal. One of the mailers was a letter of recommendation from Supervisor Marian Bergeson while another takes particular aim at candidate Scott R. Baugh, claiming voters may have been “fooled” by him.

Tonight, KOCE-TV Channel 50 will rebroadcast a debate taped while Tillotson was still a candidate, aggressively taking on Baugh. Although she is out of the race, Tillotson has not endorsed another candidate.

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Votes are in: Although the 67th Assembly recall and replacement election takes place Tuesday, thousands of votes have already been cast.

About 16,900 absentee ballots had been received at the registrar’s office by Wednesday, the final day of business last week. Nearly 15,000 of those ballots were cast by voters before conservative Republican Haydee Tillotson withdrew from the race, saying she feared Democrat Linda Moulton-Patterson might win if she and fellow Republican Baugh continued their bitter mail campaign for votes.

A total of 29,760 people have applied for absentee ballots in the district, which includes Cypress, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor and Seal Beach, as well as almost all of Fountain Valley and La Palma and fragments of five other cities.

Absentee ballots can be obtained in person from the registrar’s office--1300 South Grand Ave., Santa Ana--until 8 p.m. Tuesday. To be valid, they must be turned in by the close of business on Election Day.

The Electorate

67th Assembly District Registration

(Party: Voters)

Total: 207,538

Democrat: 69,792

Republican: 105,586

American Independent: 3,499

Other*: 6,801

Decline to state: 21,860

*Includes Green, Libertarian, Peace and Freedom, and Reform parties

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Filings to close: Candidates who wish to run for the Legislature in the March 26 primary must take out nomination papers by Wednesday at the registrar of voters’ office. For races with no incumbent, the date is Dec. 4.

Of the current candidates in the 67th Assembly election, only Republican Scott R. Baugh has filed to run again. Cypress Mayor Cecilia L. Age also has filed as a Republican, and Donald W. Rowe has filed with the Reform Party.

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Duking it out: In the spirit of Thanksgiving, perhaps voters should be thankful Congress left town before any blood was drawn in the increasingly testy exchanges between Democrats and Republicans.

One war of words escalated into a shoving match between Rep. Randy (Duke) Cunningham (R-San Diego) and Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) that spilled out from the House floor into a Capitol corridor. Quickly joining the confrontation were Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez) and Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), who was overheard by witnesses telling Miller to get off his back.

Dornan could not be reached for comment, but witnesses said Miller and he were trying to break up the fight, not add to it.

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One for Dole: Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) picked up his first presidential campaign endorsement from a member of the Orange County congressional delegation, that of Rep. Ron Packard (R-Oceanside). Reps. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) and Jay C. Kim (R-Diamond Bar) already have lined up behind Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Tex.), and Dornan is, of course, trying to keep his own presidential campaign afloat.

Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) have not stated their preference.

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Quote of the week: “Joining the Board of Supervisors was the biggest mistake of my life,” Supervisor Don Saltarelli said Monday during a break in the monthly Republican Party Central Committee meeting.

UPCOMING EVENTS

* Sunday: KOCE-TV Channel 50 rebroadcasts at 5 p.m. a debate between Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress) and recall proponents. It is followed by a debate among the candidates on the replacement ballot in the 67th Assembly District. The debate originally was broadcast Nov. 16.

* Tuesday: Election Day in the 67th Assembly District. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

* Tuesday: The Partnership for Responsible Public Policy will sponsor a debate on the effects of privatization from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Irvine Market Place Community Room. Call (714) 770-1926.

* Friday: State Sen. John R. Lewis (R-Orange) will be host at a breakfast for his Century Club at 7:30 a.m. at the Doubletree Hotel Orange County in Orange. Call Laura Mahan at (714) 385-8191.

* Saturday: Orange County Republican Women Federated will sponsor its third annual “holiday fantasy” fashion show and luncheon at 11 a.m. at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim. Call Barbara Jax at (714) 974-3089.

Compiled by Times staff writer Len Hall with contributions from Times staff writers Peter M. Warren and Gebe Martinez.

Politics ’95 appears every Sunday.