California to see up to 29 same-party fall face-offs

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As many as 29 California legislative and congressional districts will see two members of the same party compete in the November general election, a function of new balloting rules that made a statewide debut in Tuesday’s primary.

Hundreds of thousands of votes remain to be counted around the state, and the results in a handful of races could change. But clear trends emerged. Incumbents survived. Not one failed to at least make the runoff.

Supporters of the new primary system said the number of same-party runoffs could make good on their argument that the change will force candidates to run and govern in a way that appeals to a broader spectrum of voters.

Winning the general election in those districts, they said, will require picking up support from independents and voters from the opposing party.

“Whatever the tactics are, they will have to speak to the entire electorate for the first time ever,” said GOP consultant Aaron McLear, a former aide to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who pushed for the primary changes. “And what that means is they will have to make promises that are not just to the extreme of their party; they are going to have to make promises to the entire electorate that they will be held accountable for.”

Efforts to reach across the aisle already appeared in some primary races, as candidates vied against rivals of all political leanings on the same ballot.

Mailers supporting Democratic Rep. Howard Berman over fellow Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman in a San Fernando Valley slugfest touted endorsements from prominent area Republicans. Berman came in second, but the two congressmen will face off again in November.

“The smart campaigns already began talking to [voters from all parties] in the primary,” said Steve Peace, a former legislator who helped draft the ballot measure that changed the primary. “The earlier you are going to start communicating to voters, the more likely they are going to start listening to you.”

Some candidates in sameparty runoffs could still win by focusing on more partisan voters in districts where registration overwhelmingly favors Democrats or Republicans.

Former Republican Assemblyman Rico Oller, who came in first in the 5th Assembly District, said he doesn’t plan to do anything differently to reach out to crossover voters, stressing that he’ll put the same “set of values and the same principles” he pitched in the primary on display in November.

He’ll face Madera County Supervisor Frank Bigelow, a Republican who hasn’t signed a no-tax pledge.