House race features Republicans a-plenty

The ballot for Tuesday’s 48th Congressional District special election

will list 10 Republicans, but at least eight of their names may be

unknown to many voters.

With most of the attention, endorsements and money going to front

runners Marilyn Brewer and John Campbell, the other Republicans have

had to struggle not to get lost in the crowd. But they’re a

determined group, with only one -- Marshall Sanders of Santa Ana --

deciding not to campaign after qualifying for the ballot.

Tuesday’s special election ballot includes 17 candidates. Because

it’s an open primary, voters can cross party lines to pick a

candidate. If no one takes more than 50% of the primary vote, a

general election will be held Dec. 6 with each party’s top

vote-getter.

Despite belonging to the same party, the lesser-known Republicans

are a diverse group, with a variety of reasons for getting into the

race.

“I run because I love this country and care about its future,”

Irvine attorney Guy Mailly, 51, wrote in an e-mail. “The race is not

about me; it’s about how I can serve.”

Irvine real estate agent Marsha A. Morris, 43, wants to raise

awareness about the danger of mercury in vaccines such as flu shots.

Huntington Beach businessman Edward Suppe, 49, wants to rebuild the

Coast Guard’s fleet with Navy ships. Newport Beach urologist Don

Udall wants to reform the legal system.

But on other issues, some of them share a point of view. A number

of them say they’re concerned about national security and government

spending, and they seem to agree that voters want to be represented

by someone who’s not a professional politician.

“I don’t like to see people making a career out of being a

politician and making a lot of money at it,” said John Kelly, a

Tustin store owner. “It makes for disinterest by the public, and

people think that every politician is a crook.”

The presence of so many Republicans challenging the party’s chosen

candidate and talking about returning integrity to office doesn’t

necessarily signal massive discontent within the GOP.

After looking at the candidates’ websites, UC Irvine political

scientist Mark Petracca said, “It strikes me that all the Republicans

are pretty much to the right of where Brewer and even Campbell are

at.”

Some of the candidates seem to be traditionalists, who want small

government and who don’t compromise on social issues, he said.

Irvine attorney and real estate developer Scott MacCabe, 41, cited

his pro-life beliefs and fighting to shrink the national debt as

important issues in the race, and Corona del Mar dentist David R.

Crouch, 59, said he feels betrayed by the Republican administration.

“I am running because my party has lost its way with wasteful

spending and not securing our national borders,” he wrote in an

e-mail.

To political observers, it’s not a surprise that so many

Republicans took this chance. The 48th District has a wealth of

people who can afford to run for office, and they know an open seat

isn’t likely to come again for some time, said UC Irvine political

scientist Louis DeSipio.

“I think the hope of a lot of them is that the front runner will

fizzle and a relatively low share of the vote will put them in a good

position in the run-off,” DeSipio said.

Several candidates acknowledged that Campbell is the clear front

runner, and Udall said he’s even considering a bid for Campbell’s

Senate seat.

But Petracca said most of them aren’t likely to run for this type

of office again because it usually requires a bigger commitment than

this shortened election cycle did.

“It should be fun running for office, but it’s not,” he said. “A

lot of people discover that this isn’t really their bag.”

For information on candidates in the 48th Congressional District

race, visit o7www.smartvoter.orgf7.