3 Candidates to Challenge Their Primary Defeats

Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision tossing out California’s “blanket primary” law offered some hope for candidates who lost election bids in March. Among the first to announce plans to challenge their losses were three former Assembly candidates from Southern California.

The candidates, two from Orange County and a third from San Bernardino County, said they would have won their races if Republican votes had been counted.

In Orange County’s 67th Assembly District, Jim Righeimer of Huntington Beach gathered 2,837 more Republican votes than the primary winner, Huntington Beach Councilman Tom Harman, according to an unofficial recount by the Orange County registrar of voters. In the 72nd Assembly District, a recount showed Bruce Matthias of Anaheim Hills led by 1,330 GOP votes over Brea Councilwoman Lynn Daucher, the party’s November nominee.

In the third race, 61st Assembly District GOP candidate Bob DeMallie of San Bernardino got 417 more Republican votes than primary winner Dennis Yates, according to the San Bernardino County registrar.

All lost to fellow Republicans whose totals were higher.

Matthias and DeMallie said they may consider joining Righeimer’s suit. The lawsuits would be opposed, however, by the state’s highest-ranking Republican officeholder. Secretary of State Bill Jones championed the blanket primary system after the state’s voters overwhelmingly approved it in 1996, spokeswoman Beth Miller said.