Secretary of State

The race for secretary of state was not supposed to be one of the more competitive races in 2006. Kevin Shelley was swept into office as secretary of state in 2002, in a year that Democrats won every statewide office. But earlier this year Shelley resigned among a swirling storm of scandals, and Gov. Schwarzenegger was given the power to name his replacement. And suddenly the Republican Party, which held none of the eight statewide offices in early 2003, held two. Schwarzenegger appointed moderate former Republican senator Bruce McPherson, who was quickly confirmed by the Democrat-controlled legislator. And recently, McPherson officially established a campaign account—and faces no established primary competition for the nomination—making two him the second incumbent Republican running next year. The Democrats Two Senate Democratic women have thrown their hat in the ring to challenge McPherson—Deborah Ortiz and Debra Bowen. The Debra-Deborah battle is one of two next year where two female Democratic senators face off in a primary. In the race for lieutenant governor, Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, and Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, square off against current insurance commissioner John Garamendi. All four women will be termed out of office next year. In fact, 16 of the legislature’s 37 elected women will lose their seats to term limits in 2006, with another 11 having terms that expire in 2008. Bowen has been the declared Democrat candidate for the office for the longest, announcing her intent to run soon after Shelly stepped down. Perhaps because of that, Bowen has already sown up the endorsements of 15 of the 25 Democratic members of the Senate, including the majority of women senators. But her campaign account remains relatively thin, with just under $250,000, as of June 30th. Ortiz has gathered more than $400,000 in contributions. In a letter dated Oct 4., Ortiz wrote to her supporters that on Sept. 15 she “took the first step to becoming California’s next Secretary of State.” Ortiz had previously declared her intent to run for insurance commissioner, but that primary would have pitted her against fellow Richie Ross client Cruz Bustamante. For months the whispers around the Capitol were that Ortiz intended to run for mayor of Sacramento in 2008. But instead, she wrote to supporters that secretary of state was the office for her. “I have held on to one guiding principle…people can change their own lives and the world we share through civic action,” Ortiz wrote. Capitol Weekly reported on the timing and surprising endorsement of EMILY’s List, which stands for “Early Money Is Like Yeast,” because it makes the “dough” rise, which is an organization committed to supporting Democratic pro-choice women—which both candidates are. As Capitol Weekly reported, Six days after [Ortiz’s] “first step,” but two weeks before Ortiz’s letter was sent, EMILY’s List officially endorsed Bowen, though Uribe says the organization had already made an in-kind donation of a staffer to Bowen’s campaign in August. The Republicans Once Bruce McPherson was appointed by Schwarzenegger as secretary of state any potential GOP primary competitive for this office dissipated. Many Capitol sources intimate that a major bonus of (and perhaps a reason behind) Schwarzenegger’s selection of McPherson was his viability as a statewide candidate. McPherson is a moderate Republican, who was well-liked on both sides of the aisle during his term in the Legislature and was a one-time editor of the Santa Cruz Sentinel. He has filed papers with, well, with his own office, declaring his candidacy, though he has yet to report any donations. That is likely to change. As the only Republican incumbent outside of Schwarzenegger, it would be surprising if McPherson didn’t draw at least moderate interest from party backers, even if he historically has been more moderate than much of the Republican base. Candidate: Debra Bowen Party: Democrat Current Job: State Senator, Redondo Beach Cash on Hand: $249,087.25, as of June 30. Consultant: Steve Barkan Campaign website Candidate: Deborah Ortiz Party: Democrat Current Job: State Senator, Sacramento Cash on Hand: $414,639.20, as of June 30. Consultant: Richie Ross Candidate: Bruce McPherson Party: Republican Current Job: Incumbent, Secretary of State Cash on Hand: $0 , as of June 30. Campaign website