LAT: O.C. Race Shapes Up as a Duel

O.C. Race Shapes Up as a Duel

Gilchrist's strong finish Tuesday makes him chief rival to the GOP's Campbell. In a special election, anything's possible, one expert says.
By Jean O. Pasco
Times Staff Writer

October 6, 2005

When state Sen. John Campbell makes his final push in December to win a prized congressional district in coastal Orange County, the biggest fight may come not from his Democratic opponent but from a retired accountant who gained notoriety by watching for illegal immigrants at the Mexican border.

Voter discontent over illegal immigration propelled Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist, a first-time candidate and member of the American Independent Party, into a strong third-place finish in Tuesday's special election to succeed Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) in the 48th District.

The biggest surprise wasn't Campbell, who won 46% of Tuesday's vote — short of an outright victory, but enough to secure the Republican nomination for a Dec. 6 showdown among top party vote-getters.

More striking was that Gilchrist — a political unknown a year ago — grabbed more votes than the top Democrat, Steve Young. He also came within shouting distance of the second-place finisher, former Assemblywoman Marilyn C. Brewer of Newport Beach, a Republican who represented much of the district for six years.

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In early returns based on a hefty chunk of absentee ballots, Gilchrist was well behind Young, an attorney from Newport Beach who had advertised on the cable TV system that serves Leisure World Laguna Woods. But as votes from polling places rolled in, Gilchrist's numbers surged.

While Campbell and Young picked up half again as many votes over their absentee-ballot showing, Gilchrist's count swelled by 250%, picking up an additional 8,200 votes — far more than Brewer, who had focused most of her effort on turning out election-day voters.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-coxseat6oct06,1,4792456.story?coll=la-editions-orange