Candidates Plan Open-Primary Strategies

Don’t expect to see state Senate candidate Richard Katz throwing any swank fund-raising dinners in expensive ballrooms this year.

Instead, the former assemblyman, renowned for his ability to raise cash, is pinching his pennies and campaigning the old-fashioned way--by telephone, and in face-to-face meetings.

“Every penny possible has to go into voter contact,” Katz said.

It has been 20 months since Californians decided to let voters in primaries select any candidate, regardless of party affiliation. It has been a year since a federal judge rejected challenges to the initiative filed by both the state Democratic and Republican party organizations.

Now, the impact of the so-called open primary is being felt in local races. The initiative, political observers say, is destined to change California’s political landscape unlike anything since the closed primary system was adopted in 1909.

The open primaries were intended to ease California politics to the center, by allowing candidates to appeal to voters across party lines.

But to reach out to those additional voters, candidates are now in the hunt to raise and spend up to twice as much money as they have in the past. And some, such as Katz, are also adopting new frugal tactics to make their money stretch for the more expensive campaign.

“Clearly, you have to work with a bigger universe in the primary, so it makes it more expensive,” said Fred Register, the campaign consultant for Assemblyman Jack Scott (D-Altadena), who faces a tough reelection bid this year against Republican challenger Ken LaCorte.

Local candidates have yet to begin mailing fliers and brochures, making it too early to determine whether they will also adopt more moderate platforms or policy positions to appeal to more voters.

But most say they plan no drastic changes to their campaign messages.

“I am who I am and I have a message and I have a platform and I believe that platform is applicable to all the people in the district,” said Randy Hoffman, a Republican businessman who is challenging Democrat Rep. Brad Sherman for the congressional seat that represents parts of the west San Fernando Valley and Ventura County.

The open primaries are the result of Proposition 198, approved by voters in June 1996 and later upheld by a federal judge after it was challenged by both major parties.

The first change most voters will notice is that the ballots will include dozens--if not hundreds--of names from every political party with a candidate in the running.

Only three states--Louisiana, Alaska and Washington--have similar primary systems. In Washington, which adopted the open primary system in 1935, officials have found that about 10% of the electorate switches parties in an election and up to 25% in some tight races.

But in California, observers predict very few voters--not over 5%--will cross party lines in local races this year.

“The No. 1 indicator of how you will vote is how you are registered,” said Mike Madrid, deputy political director for the state Republican Party.

Instead, campaign consultants believe most of the crossover votes will come from those who decline to state a party affiliation or are registered with smaller parties, such as the American Independent Party. This will be the first year its members can vote for major party candidates in the primaries.

In current registration data for Los Angeles County, 510,000 voters, or about 14% of the electorate, declined to state a party preference or were associated with smaller parties when they registered to vote. It is a number that has increased about 4% each year for the past three years, according to the county registrar-recorder.

“The real target for the open primary are the voters who decline to state. That is where the smart money is,” said Jeff Lennan, campaign director for U.S. Rep. James Rogan (R-Glendale), who is seeking reelection this year.

Voters who declined to state a party affiliation are more likely to have the biggest impact in the race to replace state Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles), who is being forced out due to term limits.

The district stretches from San Fernando to Sherman Oaks to Woodland Hills. It has more than 145,000 registered Democrats and nearly 65,000 Republicans.

The two top candidates, Katz and City Councilman Richard Alarcon, are well-known Democrats with proven track records for raising ample campaign war chests.

Many political observers predict a tight, tough primary race between Katz and Alarcon. If the race is close, Independent Party voters and those who decline to state a party affiliation may become the deciding factor.

The district has 35,600 voters who declined to state a preference or are members of smaller parties, such as the American Independent Party, Green Party and Peace and Freedom Party.

Both Katz and Alarcon predict they will do well with these voters but neither plans to change his message or platform to appeal to them. Alarcon says he will have an advantage with voters from other parties because he has won two nonpartisan council elections.

“I’ve always run as a nonpartisan so I’ve always been focused on being nonpartisan,” he said. “That is why this election works very well for me.”

Richard Ross, Alarcon’s campaign consultant, said he will suggest that Alarcon cut costs in the primary by starting his campaign about two weeks before the primary instead of four weeks.

“One way to save money is to shorten the race,” Ross said.

Although campaign consultants say they expect few voters to cross party lines, they are nonetheless advising candidates to spend heavily to reach potential voters from all parties.

“Every consultant has told their candidate that they are at great risk if they ignore the seven other parties and those that decline to state,” said Bob Mulholland, a campaign advisor for the state Democratic Party.

“You won’t get twice as many votes but the cost could be twice as high,” he added.