Dave Brooks
It's business as usual in the offices of Assemblyman Tom Harman, who
is gearing up for his third and final campaign for his seat on the
California Legislature.
"It's going to be a very low-key election," the Republican
legislator said. "And I fully expect to get re-elected."
Working with his Chief of Staff Bob Biddle on the fifth floor of
their office, Harman acknowledges his Democratic challenger to
represent Huntington Beach and the rest of the 67th Assembly district
with a tone of cordiality, but it's obvious he doesn't seem
threatened.
That's not going to deter David Silva, a retired postal worker and
Leisure World Seal Beach resident ready to turn the heat up and
attempt to unseat Harman. For what Silva lacks in the way of funding,
he makes up for in optimism and determination.
Traditional Democrats have not faired well in the 67th district.
In his inaugural 2000 run, Harman got more than twice the votes of
his Democratic opponent, and trounced Democratic challenger William
Orton in the 2002 election, beating him by nearly 40%.
"Really, whoever wins the Republican primary is the one who wins
the election," Harman said.
Part of that advantage is linked to the way the political
boundaries are drawn up for the 67th district, Harmon added, earning
it the distinction as a "safe" district for Republicans. The most
recent lines come out of a September 2001 Assembly redistricting
agreement that created specially designed gerrymandered maps that
secured districts for the majority Democrats but left a large portion
for the Republican party.
"If you look at the maps, there's really only two or three
districts that are uncertain," Harman said.
Tough odds, Silva acknowledged, but like past presidential
elections, the Democratic Party is banking on a third party candidate
to play to his advantage.
"There's a Libertarian candidate running this year, and the
Libertarians always take votes away from the Republicans," he said.
In the 2000 election, Libertarian Autumn Brown earned about 7.4%
of the vote, but it's unclear if this year's candidate Norm
"Firecracker" Westwell will do as well. Westwell also is trying to
manage campaigns for the Huntington Beach City Council and the
Oceanview School District without raising any money.
Besides, Westwell said: "I think it's the other way around. I
think he's going to be the one to help me."
If Westwell can take between five and seven points, Silva reasons,
and he can secure all the Democratic votes and a good chunk of the
