DeVore won’t run for House seat

Alicia Robinson

The field of contenders to replace Newport Beach Rep. Chris Cox -- if

he’s confirmed as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission --

is still nebulous, but Assemblyman Chuck DeVore is definitely not in

the picture.

Two names that went into circulation immediately after Cox’s

appointment were announced Thursday -- state Sen. Dick Ackerman and

former Assemblywoman Marilyn Brewer -- are avowedly serious about

running for the congressional seat. But the remaining list of

interested parties has shifted so much in the last four days, only

the most devoted blogger could keep up.

DeVore told supporters late Friday he wouldn’t seek the House seat

Cox has held since 1988 because he’s got his work cut out for him in

Sacramento. After dropping out of the 1988 Republican primary to back

Cox, DeVore finally won his own office -- the 70th District Assembly

seat in November 2004.

Cox’s congressional district includes Newport Beach, a city DeVore

also represents.

“I really think that we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us here in

the state, and I’m just delighted to be in a position to try to make

things better,” he said Saturday.

Four days into the unexpected and still unofficial campaign cycle,

the most determined candidates are still Ackerman and Brewer.

“I feel I’ve hit the ground running,” said Brewer, who spent the

past few days on the phone with her earlier political supporters.

Brewer, who lives in Newport Beach, held the 70th District

Assembly seat from 1994 to 2000.

“It’s full-speed ahead because I don’t know if [Cox’s

confirmation] is going to happen in three months or six months,” she

said.

Ackerman, of Irvine, hasn’t wasted any time either. He raised

$100,000 at a speedily arranged event Friday night.

“The actual total is probably a lot greater than that,” Ackerman

said. “I’ve had a lot of calls from people who want to donate.”

He’s also lined up an impressive list of GOP endorsements: Orange

County Reps. Dana Rohrabacher and Ed Royce, state Sen. John Campbell,

Orange County Supervisors Bill Campbell and Jim Silva, and

Assemblywoman Mimi Walters. Next week, Ackerman said, he’ll start

calling area city council members.

Who else Ackerman and Brewer might face in a special election is

still up in the air. Possibilities include Orange County

Treasurer-Tax Collector John Moorlach, Newport Beach physician Don

Udall, and Kurt English, president of the Newport Beach Republican

Assembly.

“I’m looking at it, but you know, to some degree it’s going to

depend on who else is in [the race],” English said. “I want to be

sure that there is a solid social and economic conservative that’s

running.”

English noted that he’s been a longtime supporter of Ackerman.

DeVore hasn’t yet endorsed anyone but expects to make an announcement

within a few days.

“I don’t think we know all the options yet,” he said. “The kind of

quaint and naive thing about politics is, just like acting, everybody

thinks they can do it.”

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at alicia.robinson

@latimes.com.