Scramble to replace 'Duke' is on

By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer | Thursday, July 14, 2005 11:47 PM PDT ∞

A madcap scramble to keep the 50th Congressional District seat in the hands of the GOP touched off moments after U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's surprise announcement Thursday that he will not seek re-election in 2006.

Cunningham had barely finished his remarks at a news conference at Cal State San Marcos before the lineup of Republican candidates who want to take over the seat he has held for more than a decade began to take shape.

In the race are state Sen. Bill Morrow of Carlsbad, former state Assemblyman Howard Kaloogian of San Marcos, and one-time gubernatorial candidate George Schwartzman of San Diego. Morrow and Kaloogian made their announcements less than an hour after Cunningham said he was out.

An all but certain fourth candidate is county Supervisor Pam Slater-Price of Encinitas, who said she has been urged to run by many prominent Republicans.

"A safe Republican seat is a beautiful and luscious prize that just doesn't come up for grabs very often," said veteran political consultant Jack Orr of Oceanside. "Now, all those people who have labored in the vineyards are saying they want their due."

In Washington, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said the GOP is in for a fight. The party's national offices are unwilling to cede the seat to the Republicans and are ready to bankroll a fight.

The party's likely standard bearer is Francine Busby, who lost to Cunningham in 2004, drawing about 37 percent of the vote. Busby has already declared her candidacy.

"We think we have a very strong chance to pick up a seat here," said campaign committee spokeswoman Adrienne Elrod. "We have a very strong candidate who has already put together a strong campaign, raising more than $100,000, with $64,000 of that raised in just the last two weeks."

Busby, a member of the Cardiff school board, issued a statement shortly after Cunningham's announcement calling for him to resign immediately rather than serve out the remainder of his term.

"If his ethical problems make it impossible for him to run a campaign, they also make it impossible for him to effectively represent the people of his district," Busby said in her statement.

In his statement, Cunningham said he was opting out of seeking a ninth term because of the controversy raised by his dealings with a Washington defense contractor and an ongoing grand jury investigation.

"I may not be the strongest candidate," he said, adding in a message to his constituents that, "it pains me beyond words that I have jeopardized your trust."

The full list of GOP candidates probably won't be known for at least a couple more weeks. Orr said he wouldn't be surprised to see several more people announce their interest for the North County seat, which has been held by Cunningham since 1992.

Morrow said Cunningham's announcement "turned his life upside down" and that he definitely will enter the race.

"I am not prepared to make a formal announcement, but that is my intention," he said.

Kaloogian, the former assemblyman who helped lead the recall of Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, said he too will soon make a formal announcement. Kaloogian made his announcement in a written statement as he was returning from a trip to Iraq with members of the Move America Forward group he launched last year.

Slater-Price said she was approached in June with entreaties that she run should Cunningham drop out.

"I am very interested and can bring a lot of local government experience to the position," said the 57-year-old Slater-Price, now in her fourth term as a county supervisor after serving on the Encinitas City Council from 1988-92. "A lot of influential people, including some from the Republican Party, have asked me to consider running."

The first Republican to announce was Schwartzman, who made his candidacy known July 5. On Thursday, he said Cunningham's decision was long overdue and that he is prepared to pour a lot of his own money into the race.

"I have gotten a lot of encouragement and support and I have the resources to make it a race," said the 59-year-old Schwartzman, who described himself as a moderate, pro-choice Republican.

Another potential GOP candidate is county Supervisor Bill Horn of Valley Center.

"I won't say that I am not considering it," Horn said. "I like being a supervisor, but I am sure there will be some meetings in the next couple of weeks and you will hear some sort of reaction out of us."

Ron Nehring, the county Republican Party chairman, said he anticipates a crowded field of GOP candidates skirmishing between now and the primary election in June 2006.

"There are a lot of good Republican leaders out there and I expect the race will change a great deal over the next few months," he said.

In the end, it will be a Republican that replaces Cunningham, Nehring predicted in reference to the district's long history as a solid GOP territory. The district, which covers most of inland and coastal North County and portions of northern San Diego, has about 159,000 registered Republicans and 106,000 registered Democrats

"The person who wins the Republican primary will be the next congressional representative," he said.

A source close to the federal grand jury investigation that led to Cunningham's announcement Thursday said there is nothing that hasn't come to light that may have contributed to his decision.

Nehring said that Republicans will always believe that Cunningham has done a good job representing their interests in Congress.

"Duke has admitted he showed an error in judgment and we look forward to welcoming him back to San Diego full time," Nehring said.

Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.