Local News

SACRAMENTO (BCN) ― A special general election on Nov. 3 for a vacant U.S. Congress seat in the East Bay pits California's Democratic lieutenant governor against a Republican son of a former lieutenant governor.

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a Democrat, is facing David Harmer, the son of former state senator and Lt. Gov. John Harmer, in the election for the state's 10th Congressional District, which includes much of Contra Costa County, as well as parts of Alameda, Solano and Sacramento counties.

The election was scheduled to fill the seat previously held by Democrat Ellen Tauscher, who was nominated in March for a State Department position that she accepted in June.

Garamendi topped a crowded field in a special primary election in September, but because no one got more than 50 percent of the vote, the general election was scheduled for Nov. 3.

Harmer easily defeated the other five Republican opponents, earning himself a spot on the ballot.

Jeremy Cloward of the Green Party, Mary C. McIlroy of the Peace and Freedom Party, and Jerry Denham of the American Independent Party combined to only get about 1 percent of the overall vote, but will each also be on the November ballot after running unopposed in the primary.

Garamendi said that his campaign is going "very, very well," and hoped that the turnout in the primary would be favorable to him.

The six Democratic candidates received a total of 69,130 votes in the primary, compared to 37,040 for the six Republican candidates.

"Our task is to round up the Democrats," Garamendi said. "Our (Democratic) opponents in the primary all came on board and have been aggressive in helping me."

He said his campaign's polls have shown that voters "want someone that will help Obama and his agenda, and my opponent is a no vote on everything the president is attempting to do."

Harmer said that his main issue with the President and Congress is what he thinks is a lack of fiscal discipline.

"When the President is promoting policies of limited government, a sound dollar, and economic opportunity, he'll have my wholehearted support," Harmer said.

"You cannot spend money you don't have," he said. "What Congress is doing now is irresponsible. Whatever our disagreement is on other issues, at least we can agree that we can't leave this debt for our kids, and that's the theme of our campaign."

The combination of Garamendi's name recognition and the high number of Democrats in the district seem to give Garamendi the advantage in the race, according to Bill Whalen, a research fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

"There's more Democrats than Republicans in the district. Ergo he should win," Whalen said.

Harmer's prospects of winning would depend on "a sentiment out there, which you don't see as much in California as in other states, that people might be in a mood to punish politicians, and Garamendi would fit that mold as a career politician," Whalen said.

If Garamendi is to win the seat, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will have to pick a new lieutenant governor, a decision Whalen said will likely be surrounded by speculation.

A possible candidate is Tom Campbell, a Republican candidate for governor in 2010 who is a former South Bay congressman and served as state finance director for Schwarzenegger.

Whalen said that pick "would be a tremendous boost to Campbell's candidacy, if he had a 'Lieutenant Governor' in front of his name, but Arnold might not want to play favorites in the race."

If the governor were to pick a Democrat, Robert Hertzberg, a Los Angeles businessman who is a former state Assembly Speaker and is an advisor to Schwarzenegger, is another possibility, Whalen said.

"He and Schwarzenegger talk all the time, so I can easily see (the governor) picking him," he said.

Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear declined to comment on possible replacements in the event of a Garamendi victory.

"That's not something the governor is focused on at all," McLear said. "Right now we're focusing on getting a water deal."

A forum featuring the five candidates for the congressional seat will be held on Monday at St. Mary's College of California.

The forum, scheduled for 7 p.m. at the college's Soda Activity Center, is open to the public.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)