Candidates line up for Cox’s seat

People who plan to vote Oct. 4 on a replacement for former Rep. Chris

Cox can expect to see a ballot as long as their arms, but they likely

won’t know most of the names on it.

By Wednesday, 17 potential candidates had taken papers from the

Orange County Registrar of Voters to run for the Congressional seat

Cox left vacant when he became chairman of the Securities and

Exchange Commission on Aug. 3. The seat represents Newport Beach,

Laguna Beach, Irvine and several South County cities.

The entry of a large number of candidates, mainly Republicans,

echoes what happened the last time the seat was open, when Cox first

won it in 1988. A field of 16 people -- including 12 Republicans --

ran in that primary, with the relatively unknown Cox emerging as a

front-runner in part because of his fundraising clout and White House

ties.

Here, the focus has been largely on state Sen. John Campbell and

former Assemblywoman Marilyn Brewer -- both Republicans -- with a

little spice added by well-known names such as Minuteman Project

founder James Gilchrist and the colorful Bob Dornan, a former House

member. On Wednesday Dornan said rather than running himself, he’ll

endorse Gilchrist and help with his campaign.

While Gilchrist will be able to raise money nationally, he may be

seen as a one-issue candidate whose issue -- halting illegal

immigration -- won’t get much purchase with voters in coastal Orange

County, said former Orange County GOP Chairman Tom Fuentes.

“I believe that across America the illegal immigration issue is

one of the hot buttons of our time, but this is still a two-party

system and most Americans relate to the party of their registration,”

he said.

The Oct. 4 primary puts some observers more in mind of the state’s

gubernatorial recall than the 1988 House race.

“By the end of the race, the media focus was on the top three”

candidates in the recall, UC Irvine political scientist Louis DeSipio

said. “Just having a big pool doesn’t necessarily mean there’s going

to be competition in the race.”

But that’s not stopping first-time candidates such as David R.

Crouch, a dentist who lives in Corona del Mar.

“I’m just tired of what the government’s doing,” he said. “We’re

not securing our borders.... I’m against affirmative action, I’m

against all these taxes. We need a voter ID card.”

DeSipio said it’s unlikely that input from all the unknown

candidates in the race will find its way into the debate. But he

thinks the issues that do arise could help Republican and Democrat

bigwigs gauge the political climate.

“The parties often learn from these off-cycle races what’s playing

out there that they didn’t quite realize,” he said.

Monday is the deadline to file for the special election. The list

of potential candidates on Wednesday included the following:

* Republicans: Marilyn C. Brewer of Newport Beach; John Campbell

of Irvine; David R. Crouch of Corona del Mar; Delecia Holt of Aliso

Viejo; John Kelly of Tustin; Guy E. Mailly of Irvine; Scott MacCabe

of Irvine; Marshall Samuel Sanders of Santa Ana; Edward A. Suppe of

Huntington Beach; Don Udall of Corona del Mar

* Democrats: John Graham of Irvine; Steve Young of Newport Beach

* Other parties: Libertarian Bruce Cohen of Aliso Viejo;

decline-to-state candidates D. Bruce Smith of Seal Beach and Al

Salehi of Corona del Mar; Green Party candidate Bea Tiritilli of

Santa Ana; American Independent Party candidate Jim Gilchrist of

Aliso Viejo.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

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

o7alicia.robinson@latimes.comf7.