Candidate Weighing His Political Options as Army Reservist

Among the casualties of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks may be the political career of an eager candidate for California insurance commissioner.

Tom Umberg, a former assemblyman from Orange County, is running hard in the Democratic primary, hoping the $1.5 million in loan commitments he has lined up will give him the financial edge in the race.

But at the moment it is neither money nor the political acumen of his opponents that has Umberg worried about his chances at the ballot box. It’s Uncle Sam.

Umberg, 45, is a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. So is his wife, Robin.

They are among thousands of reservists who were put on alert by the president after the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.

So as he waits for orders and worries about child-care arrangements for his two sons should the call come for active duty, Umberg also is weighing his political options. If he is asked to serve for only a short time, the campaign might continue, but if he’s asked to serve indefinitely, Umberg said, he will drop out.

“If I have to choose between running for office and serving my country, it’s a real easy choice,” he said. “If you like public service, there’s no more important public service than military service.”

Umberg’s opponents in the race, while admiring his patriotism, are not exactly saddened by his predicament.

If Umberg quits, said Assemblyman Tom Calderon (D-Montebello): “He’s one Southern California candidate I wouldn’t have to worry about in this race. It would sort of leave Southern California to me, which would be a good thing.”

Former Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, another candidate in the Democratic primary, puts it more succinctly.

“If he drops out, the effect is obvious,” he said. “One opponent is gone.”

Umberg’s other option would be to suspend his campaign for a time and then pick up again when he returns. Calderon said he thought that would be a difficult task for a candidate, but there is precedent for such a move; indeed, it comes from Umberg himself.

In 1990, Umberg was making his first run for the state Assembly when then-President George Bush sent troops to the Middle East for the Gulf War. Umberg was in the Army Reserve then too and got the call for active duty.

He suspended campaigning for several weeks. In the meantime, a friend, Gray Davis, who was then controller and is now governor, stepped in and stumped on his behalf. Umberg returned in time to finish campaigning and win the election.

An Army paratrooper and a lawyer, Umberg entered the military shortly after graduating from UCLA and serves in a legal support unit. Until two months ago, his wife, a hospital administrator, outranked him.

“I finally don’t have to salute her outside the home,” he said.