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Senator Sharon Runner, R-Antelope Valley, has called upon Governor Brown to declare a State of Emergency in Los Angeles County due to the devastating aftermath of recent flooding and mudslides.

Democrats, GOP Like Runner’s Odds In Special Election

Due to a lack of formal interest from challengers, former state Sen. Sharon Runner is the lone qualified candidate for the state Senate 21st District race this spring, county officials said Thursday.


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That means Runner’s name will be the only choice for district voters on the official ballot for the March 19 special election, which is intended to fill the seat Congressman Steve Knight, R-Santa Clarita, vacated.

And there’s a confluence of factors likely contributing to Runner’s thus-far lack of competition, a county Democratic Party official said Thursday.

While county Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman said he expected to hear about an Antelope Valley candidate filing for a write-in run in the coming days, he acknowledged whoever takes on Runner faces an uphill battle for a number of reasons.

Runner is a Republican who, as a former representative of the 17th District before it was redrawn — garnered the support of several high-ranking GOP members as soon as she declared interest in a run. She’s also the husband of former state Sen. George Runner, a member of the state Board of Equalization.

Special considerations for a special election

Despite recent gains for the Democratic Party in voter registration that have made Dem voters the majority in the 21st District, “this seat is expected to stay Republican due to a strong conservative base that is expected to heavily turn out in an otherwise low turnout special election,” according to Capitol Daybook — a sentiment acknowledged by most insiders on both sides of the aisle, and perhaps best evidenced by the lack of a Democratic challenger.

“Normally speaking, we work to make sure we always have somebody in these races so that the Democratic Party’s voices and positions are represented,” Bauman said, but adding “it’s worth taking a second and thinking about the reality about how elections work, as opposed to voter registration.”

Sharon Runner was unable to seek re-election in 2012 in the 17th District due to a health condition that ultimately left her in need of a double-lung transplant — a surgery she’s subsequently undergone and fully recovered from, she said in a previous interview.

In addition to turnout-versus-registration factors, Bauman offered various reasons, such as socioeconomic conditions, that might play a greater role in Democrats’ voting in off-year elections, or ones in which the presidential race isn’t on the ballot. A middle class Antelope Valley worker commuting to Century City might be less likely to be able to stand in line on election day for a lesser-known race, he said.

Of course, there’s also name recognition.

“There are always certain political people who come from families who are, I hate to say ‘dyanstic,’ but let’s call it dynastic,” Bauman said, referencing the Runner name in North County, or the Calderones and Thomases in the Los Angeles area. “And they tend to do very well.”

In previous interviews, both Knight and Assemblyman Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, also acknowledged that, in addition to her experience, name recognition would be a huge boon in a vote where turnout is expected to be low.

These factors can not only play a role in voter results, but candidate interest, as well, Bauman said.

While Bauman said no election — not even a small-turnout special election — should be an unopposed “coronation,” this race offered an especially tough proposition for Democratic challengers for the above reasons, leaving many to wait things out until 2016.

One candidate, Star Moffatt, began a brief campaign as a Democratic Party challenger, questioning Runner’s recovery in one online post and in another challenging her to a zip-line competition. Her attacks on Runner’s health drew the ire of party officials, who were ready to reprimand her for the posts before she publicly withdrew her intent to file a candidacy.

In recent weeks, both Antelope Valley Democrat Darren Parker, a special assistant to Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, and Jonathon Ervin, another prominent Dem, sent out statements declining interest in the March race.

Several other potential Republican challengers, such as Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford and Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris, also backed away after Runner said she was planning to run.

Write-in candidate

However, the state is mandating an election, leaving the door open for a dark horse, long shot write-in candidate, according to the procedure for San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties, which are responsible for holding the elections.

“Some people have asked about this,” said Regina Ip, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s Office. “We are going forward with the election because it’s mandated by the state’s Election Code.”

While some seats, such as a school board, can appoint, state law mandates the governor call a special election, Ip said.

The deadline for candidates to officially declare their candidacy in order to get on their names on the ballot was Friday.

However, from Jan. 19 to March 3, a candidate can still make themselves a write-in candidate, said Brenda Duran, a public information officer for the county’s Registrar-Recorder Office.

If a candidate meets the qualifications for office, which is to say the person is a registered, eligible voter living in California, the person can request to be a write-in candidate from the county.

The candidate does not have to be registered with any qualified political party.

Only one person in either county, a San Bernardino resident, has pulled papers for a write-in candidacy so far, as of information available Thursday from Los Angeles County. The paperwork has not been returned and filed yet, so no information was available. Bauman declined to identify the write-in candidate he mentioned at this time.

Runner did not return a call from KHTS AM-12220 for a comment on this story.

The 21st District includes the San Bernardino County communities of Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville and the Los Angeles County communities of Lancaster, Palmdale, unincorporated Antelope Valley and the Lakes Communities along with portions of the Santa Clarita Valley.

“Here’s the reality,” Bauman said. “The Runner name is gold up there, it’s going to take a tough campaign to beat her and,” he said, referencing a 2016 21st District race pundits are expecting to be much more competitive, “it’s going to be a lot harder to beat her in an election where Hillary Clinton is not the name at the top of the ticket.”

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Democrats, GOP Like Runner’s Odds In Special Election

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.