Local joins in race to Capitol

A Huntington Beach man is among 17 candidates who qualified Monday to

run for the 48th Congressional District seat last held by Chris Cox

of Newport Beach.

Edward Suppe, 49, a Republican who describes himself as an

international businessman and a veteran of the Coast Guard, said he’s

running for the seat that represents Newport Beach, Laguna Beach,

Irvine and several South County cities because he knows the district.

He volunteers on a Coast Guard cutter in Corona del Mar, and he

owns a boat in Newport Harbor, he said, adding, “I pay more taxes in

the 48th Congressional District.”

As a candidate, Suppe said, he’ll tackle issues such as homeland

security and corruption in the United Nations. Right now he’s

fighting with the secretary of state’s office to be allowed to list

himself as a military veteran on the ballot.

A primary election is set for Oct. 4, with a general election

following on Dec. 6 for the winners in each party if no candidate

takes more than 50% of the primary vote.

Cox, who first won the House seat in 1988, left it open Aug. 3

when he became chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

With strong Republican voter registration in the district, the seat

looks like a lifetime job to GOP candidates if they can break away

from the pack.

“It’s not surprising, because once you get past four people in the

race, you might as well run, because there’s some chance that you

could do something,” UC Irvine political scientist Mark Petracca

said.

“The good news is that it’s not a coronation, and frankly whoever

does win, it helps legitimize the outcome.”

But the gaggle of unknowns will have to compete with the name

recognition and fundraising muscle of former Assemblywoman Marilyn

Brewer and current state Sen. John Campbell, both of whom reported

having raised $500,000 as of Friday and have pulled in big-name

endorsements. Campbell is backed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and

Brewer last week got the nod from former New Jersey Gov. Christie

Todd Whitman.

Nearly the same number of candidates are running now as did last

time the seat was open. But having an incumbent officeholder like

Campbell is one thing that sets this race apart from the one in 1988,

when state legislators didn’t have term limits.

Campbell is considered a front-runner. But start with too many

Republicans on the ballot in a low-turnout race and add the candidacy

of Minuteman project founder Jim Gilchrist, who could run on the far

right, and it could be death by a thousand cuts for Campbell,

Petracca said.

And candidates like John Kelly, who owns a men’s store in Tustin,

may not have the money, but tenacity may mean front-runners have to

work a little harder for every vote.

“My campaign is like the Cinderella-man campaign,” Kelly said. “I

never give up. I never throw in the towel.”

The official list of candidates for the 48th Congressional

District seat includes the following:

* Republicans: business owner Marilyn Brewer of Newport Beach;

businessman and state Sen. John Campbell of Irvine; Dentist David R.

Crouch of Corona del Mar; merchant-businessman John Kelly of Tustin;

lawyer-businessman Scott MacCabe of Irvine; businessman-attorney Guy

E. Mailly of Irvine; realtor/businesswoman Marsha A. Morris;

businessman Marshall Samuel Sanders of Santa Ana; veteran and

international businessman Edward Suppe of Huntington Beach;

independent physician/businessman Don Udall of Corona del Mar

* Democrats: teacher Bea Foster; university business professor

John Graham of Irvine; marketing consultant Tom Pallow of Santa Ana;

small businessman/attorney Steve Young of Newport Beach

* Other parties: realtor/small businessperson Bruce Cohen of Aliso

Viejo, Libertarian; Minuteman Movement founder Jim Gilchrist of Aliso

Viejo, American Independent Party; public schoolteacher Bea Tiritilli

of Santa Ana, Green Party

Decline-to-state candidate D. Bruce Smith is designated as a

write-in candidate, which gives him until Sept. 20 to gather the

required signatures, but his name won’t appear on the Oct. 4 ballot.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers government and politics. She may be

reached at (714) 966-4626 or by e-mail at

[email protected].