Pro-Choice Advocates Take Credit for Primary Victory

SAN DIEGO —  Abortion rights advocates claimed credit Wednesday for a pro-choice Republican’s narrow victory in a special primary election to fill an Assembly seat in a conservative Southern California district.

The election was the first state legislative contest in California since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling July 3 gave the states more power to regulate abortion.

Tricia Hunter, the only pro-choice candidate in a field of six Republicans, led Poway businessman Dick Lyles by 197 votes--14,822 to 14,625--with 132 absentee votes yet to be counted.

She will face Democrat Jeannine Correia, who is also pro-choice, in an Oct. 3 runoff election. Hunter, a registered nurse from Bonita, is expected to win easily in the heavily Republican 76th District, a rural and suburban expanse stretching from southern Riverside County through central San Diego County almost to the Mexican border.

“This shows that a clear, articulate statement supporting a woman’s right to decide was a plus in a district where no one ever thought it could be,” said Robin Schneider, a director of the California Abortion Rights Action League. “The (abortion) issue clearly differentiated Tricia Hunter from her opponents, and the voters responded.”

But Brian Johnston, California director of the National Right to Life Committee, an anti-abortion group, described Hunter’s win as a “Pyrrhic victory” made possible by Democratic crossover votes and the support of “ultra-liberal” groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union.

“They have spent a lot of money to buy that seat, and in order to keep it, they’re going to have to keep on spending that money,” Johnston said. He said his group is encouraging Lyles to wage a write-in campaign in October or else run against Hunter in the regular Republican primary next June.

Tuesday’s contest was a special election to fill the seat held by the late Assemblyman Bill Bradley (R-San Marcos), who died June 1. Bradley was a staunch opponent of abortion.

In a special election primary, the candidates appear on a single ballot given to all voters, regardless of party. The top finisher from each party advances to the runoff unless one candidate captures 50% plus one of the vote.

Calls It a ‘Major Factor’

Hunter on Wednesday described the abortion issue as a “major factor” in her victory, noting that it served as a magnet for campaign contributions and volunteers and generated intense media coverage, including reports by four national television networks.

The 76th District race was tailor-made for the Hunter campaign, because most Republican officeholders split their support between two of her opponents, and anti-abortion groups also failed to coalesce around a single candidate.

Pro-choice groups, looking to add a vote for their side in the closely divided Assembly, made the most of the opportunity.

The Abortion Rights Action League organized an effort to identify pro-choice voters--Democrats and Republicans--and urge them to vote for Hunter. The group eventually contacted about 5,300 voters, Schneider said, in a project that will serve as a model for the group’s affiliates throughout the country.

The National Organization for Women’s California chapter also supported Hunter. The group contributed $3,000 to her campaign and sent letters to its members in the district on her behalf.

“This shows that the pro-choice vote is out there even in the most conservative districts, and it can be mobilized,” said Linda Joplin, statewide coordinator of California NOW.

Hunter, a two-term member of the state Board of Registered Nursing, also enjoyed strong support from the California Nurses Assn., which poured about $96,000 into an independent campaign on her behalf.

Most of Hunter’s opponents said that, had abortion not emerged as a pivotal issue in the wake of the Supreme Court decision, Hunter likely would have ended the campaign where she began--in the middle of the pack along with several other credible but unknown candidates.

“That issue made Tricia Hunter,” said Bob Schuman, Lyles’ campaign manager.

Herb Williams, the chief strategist for Poway City Councilwoman Linda Brannon--who was viewed at the outset as one of the co-favorites but faded to a fourth-place finish--said that his polling showed that Hunter’s support nearly tripled in the week after the court’s ruling.

‘Pro-Responsibility’ Position

Brannon’s chances were seriously damaged, Williams argued, by her “pro-responsibility” position, which combined her personal opposition to abortion with a willingness to support abortions in limited circumstances.

“What that meant was that Linda was in the middle and satisfied no one,” Williams said. “She wasn’t pure enough to satisfy either side’s litmus test.”

Concurring with that analysis, Hunter said: “The lesson of this race is that people are going to have to take a position on this issue. Voters expect candidates to come down on one side or the other, and aren’t going to respond to people who try to stay in the middle.”

Barry Horstman reported from San Diego and Daniel Weintraub reported from Sacramento.