Personal Tension Marks 73rd Assembly GOP Race

When Orange County Supervisor Tom Wilson decided in 2001 to run for reelection, Laguna Niguel Councilwoman Mimi Walters hosted his kickoff fundraiser at her 15,000-square-foot home.

The supervisor climbed Walters’ spiral staircase that evening and told about 200 guests standing below on a marble foyer about his plans to serve the county four more years. He would end up winning reelection unopposed.

The fundraiser was one reason Walters said she thought Wilson would support her when she decided the next year to run for the state Assembly. Instead, Wilson called her with surprising news: He was running for the seat himself. Once allies, they were now opponents.

The two, plus Vista school board member Jim Gibson, are competing in the Republican primary for the 73rd Assembly District, which stretches along the coast from Dana Point to Oceanside in northern San Diego County.

The feisty campaigning has seen Wilson question his opponents’ experience and qualifications and Gibson and Walters portray the supervisor as too moderate for the district. The three candidates expect to spend more than $1 million combined on the campaign, with Wilson and Walters each expecting to raise more than $500,000.

There may be good reason for the aggressive campaigning. The Republican Party holds nearly a 2-to-1 registration edge over Democrats in the district, so the primary’s survivor is considered a shoo-in come November.

Walters, 41, is a wealthy former investment executive who has served on the Laguna Niguel City Council since 1996 and lived in that city nearly her entire life. She is married to a Newport Beach investment banker and has two sons and two daughters, from ages 7 to 11.

She said she reluctantly supports Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s initiative to raise $15 billion in bonds to help pay down the state’s budget deficit and is most concerned about what she describes as waste in state spending and the impact of illegal immigration on California.

She criticized Wilson for accepting money from government employee unions, who she said might believe they’re entitled to payback if he’s elected.

“They have not offered to give me any money because they know I won’t take it,” she said. “I don’t believe in unions. I believe in private enterprise.”

Wilson, 63, the son of a Pennsylvania steelworker, is a retired aerospace manager who is in his eighth year on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. He served seven years on the Laguna Niguel City Council, including two as mayor, and has a combined 15 years of experience as an elected official in the district.

He described himself as more moderate than his opponents, closer in philosophy to the governor, someone who would be able to build alliances with both Democrats and Republicans in Sacramento.

For instance, he said, he thinks Gibson’s goal to lower taxes in California is “political rhetoric” and unrealistic given the state’s budget deficit. “That’s not something that can be done now. That’s a fine long-term goal,” he said.

Wilson said flexibility, not a political agenda, will lead to success in Sacramento.

“I describe myself as a practical politician. If you’re out to get something done, you can’t always draw a line in the sand and expect to be successful,” he said.

Gibson is considered an underdog by some observers. There are nearly twice as many registered Republicans in the Orange County portion of the district than in San Diego County. And he trails both candidates in fundraising. By mid-February, Wilson and Walters each had more than $100,000 available to spend; Gibson had $68,000 remaining.

Gibson, 49, is banking on some big-name endorsements -- former gubernatorial candidates Bill Simon Jr. and Tom McClintock support him -- and he hopes Wilson and Walters will divide the Orange County vote, while he wins on his home turf.

Gibson, who owns a telecommunications company in Irvine, has served as a trustee on the Vista school board since 1998. He said he is opposed to Schwarzenegger’s bond proposal and believes the state should try to balance its books by slashing spending.

“It’s not a revenue problem we have; it’s a spending problem,” Gibson said.

He advocates cutting taxes in the state, which he said would stimulate economic growth. He said his experience as a business owner makes him believe the state should reduce regulations and overhaul the state worker’s compensation insurance system.

On the school board, he’s opposed bilingual education and tried to have schools named after Marine Corps heroes. Gibson served in the Marine Corps from 1979 to 1983 and as a reservist until 1991. If elected, he said, the first bill he would write would require local police agencies in the state to turn over illegal immigrants to U.S. immigration officials.

Although Gibson has a difficult task, it’s not impossible for a San Diego County resident to win the district. In 1992, Bill Morrow of Oceanside defeated seven candidates, including five from Orange County, to win the Republican primary.

Morrow, now a state senator, has not endorsed a candidate and said he does not see a clear front-runner.

“Once you focus on the message, it’s not so much important whether you live in Orange County or San Diego County,” Morrow said. “I recognize all three as being very strong candidates and, frankly, all three can win. I don’t have a clue who’s going to win. I really don’t. And it’s my district.”

In political mailings, Gibson and Walters have criticized Wilson for voting to approve a $1 increase for vehicle registration in Orange County, which went to improve the Sheriff’s Department’s fingerprint identification system. Gibson also faulted the supervisor for voting to increase the pay for Orange County supervisors.

“The closer it gets to election day,” Wilson said, “the more negative [the campaign] has become. That’s probably a result of fear of losing.... Desperation sets in.”

Wilson said he plans a couple of his own mailers in the final days before the election but will focus on his qualifications. He said he does not believe he was disloyal to Walters but is simply pursuing a goal to work in Sacramento.

As for Walters, she said it’s hard not to take Wilson’s campaign as a personal affront. The day the supervisor called to inform her that he was running, she posted the invitation to his 2001 fundraiser in her office as a reminder. She hasn’t taken it down.

“I felt betrayed. I thought, ‘The gloves are off. I’m going to work on this campaign every single day until March 2, 2004.’ ”

Walters and Wilson both say their internal polling has them leading the pack.

Gibson hasn’t paid for polling but said he heard that a political action committee’s poll has him gaining ground on his opponents.

“People are finding out I’m the conservative in the race. The final word isn’t the poll taken last month. The final authority is March 2,” Gibson said.