Democrats worried about vacated Assembly seat
As Ted Lempert and Joe Simitian square off in the final hectic weeks of their March 2 battle, other Democrats are nervous about leaving Simitian's state Assembly seat ripe for possible Republican pickings in November.
When Simitian decided to run for state Senate, a search was on for a possible successor in the Assembly. Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss led that list, followed by Palo Alto City Councilwoman Judy Kleinberg. Both declined.
Four Democrats are running, but have mounted low profile campaigns thus far. Redwood City Councilman Ira Ruskin and Palo Alto School Board member John Barton are the best known of the four, joined by Joe Carcione of Menlo Park and Barbara Nesbet of Monte Sereno.
"Even Joe (Simitian) says it is a thin field," said one Democrat.
None of the four Democrats have done especially well in fund-raising. Through Jan. 17, Carcione had by the far the most money, at $343,000, but $195,000 was his own and another $31,100 came from seven family members.
Ruskin, the longtime Redwood City council man, has lately picked up support in Palo Alto. Among those endorsing him are Palo Alto City Councilwoman Yoriko Kishimoto and former Councilwoman Emily Renzel, environmental activists Peter Drekmeier and Debbie Mytels, Nonette Hanko of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Karen Holman and Pat Burt from the Palo Alto Planning Commission, and neighborhood leaders Annette Ashton and Dorothy Bender.
The Republicans, meanwhile, have come up with a strong candidate, millionaire and former high-tech whiz Steve Poizner. He also has an enormous war chest for the November general election, $545,000 as of Jan. 17.
"Poizner is a very strong Republican candidate, in the mold of a Becky Morgan," said former Palo Alto mayor and Councilman Gary Fazzino. Morgan served as a moderate Republican state Senator from this district, and also served as a Palo Alto school board member.
"The only thing that would make him better is if his name was Stephanie," Fazzino joked.
Poizner is someone whom Democrats should lose sleep over.
"I've decided not to take any PAC (political action committee) money or any corporate money, just individual donations," Poizner said. "Campaign finance reform is a goal of mine."
Has the state Republican Party decided to target the 21st Assembly district seat as winnable?
"They'll make that decision later," Poizner said. "But I am getting a lot of moral support."
Dan Walters, longtime political writer for the Sacramento Bee, wrote Feb. 4 that "the Republicans have a dream candidate" in Poizner. Democrats still hold a 12-point lead in party registration over Republicans in the 21st Assembly District, but Walters wrote this could be a "sleeper" race in November.
"The seat will be in play in November," Fazzino predicted.
When the Democratic Party held its state convention in San Jose Jan. 17, Barton and Ruskin split the endorsement votes of the delegates, but enough stayed silent or abstained so no final decision was reached.
Simitian, as a delegate, did not vote for any of the four Democratic contenders for his seat.
