NORTH COUNTY -- With millions of out-of-town dollars spent on TV ads, dozens of campaign operatives present from across the nation and reporters from as far away as Japan, the expectations surrounding today's 50th Congressional District special election runoff stretch far beyond San Diego County.

Both parties see the outcome of today's contest as an early indicator of what will happen in fall congressional elections across the nation, Claremont McKenna College professor of government Jack Pitney said Monday.

"People regard it as an omen," said Pitney, who served as the deputy director of research for the Republican National Committee from 1989 to 1991.

Democrat Francine Busby and Republican Brian Bilbray are the two chief contenders in the four candidate runoff election today to fill, through the end of the year, the seat formerly held by the now-imprisoned Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a Republican.

If Busby should win, it will be an early indication that Democrats might "retake the House," Pitney said. "Dozens of other Republican seats might be at risk."

Cunningham, a decorated Vietnam War pilot, resigned from office late last year after pleading guilty in federal court to his role in a massive bribery scam that saw him receive more than $2.4 million in bribes, allegedly from two defense contractors and others. He is now serving an eight-year, four-month prison sentence.

His fall has made the heavily Republican 50th District -- 157,000 registered Republicans versus 105,000 registered Democrats -- the seeming epicenter of a congressional ethics scandal. Even Bilbray has said he believes the Cunningham scandal has played a major role in making the race neck and neck in the Republican stronghold.

Conducted last week by national polling organization Survey USA and KGTV Channel 10, an automated telephone survey of likely voters in the district showed Bilbray and Busby locked in a statistical dead heat to win the election.

Officials with Busby's campaign said Monday that more than 500 volunteers have been manning phone banks and walking door to door across the 50th District over the past several days to help get out the vote. Of those, about 15 are out-of-state volunteers and another 40 from other parts of the state, said Busby campaign spokesman Brennan Bilberry.

Reached by phone in his Washington office, Republican National Committee spokesman Tucker Bounds said Monday that a nationwide call went out recently for volunteers. Bounds said that some of those 160 volunteers who answered included Capitol Hill staff members, who took time off from their jobs to work on behalf of the Bilbray campaign.

On Monday, Bilbray's Sorrento Valley campaign office was a beehive of activity with some volunteers making phone calls, while others prepared door hangers for volunteers to distribute throughout the district.

Campaign spokesman Steve Danon said that between 125 and 175 local volunteers are working directly for the campaign, and they have been fanning out across the district and manning phones in a last minute effort to get out the vote.

Since the April 11 qualifying election, Washington money has poured into the district from the Republican and Democratic parties. As of last week, the National Republican Congressional Committee had invested $4.4 million in the race, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had spent nearly $2 million. Most of those national dollars went to pay for a barrage of attack ads on local TV stations.

Another indication of the high stakes nature of the election can be seen by the interest shown in the contest by the national media. In the last week, reporters with the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fox News, CNN and NBC have all come to town to interview one or both of the candidates, campaign officials said.

On Monday, a reporter and camera crew with MSNBC's Chris Mathew's Hardball show interviewed Bilbray, as did a reporter with one of Japan's biggest publications, Mainichi Newspaper.

Bilbray spokesman Danon said that on Monday he also received questions on the election from a reporter with a British newspaper.

Reached by phone at his San Diego hotel Monday, Mainichi's Washington correspondent Masaya Oikawa said that his country is paying close attention to the outcome of today's 50th District contest as a barometer of how things may go in other U.S. congressional elections this fall.

If Busby was "to win, it's a very strong sign that Democrats could take back the House," Oikawa said.

And if that happens, a change in U.S. foreign policy is possible, he said.

His comments seem to imply some Japanese are rooting for a Bilbray victory today and for Republicans retaining control of the House.

"While the GOP and the Bush administration has very close relations with Japan, Japan has very bad relations with China. Generally speaking, Democrats (are said to) like China rather than Japan," he said.

In a Monday phone interview, New York Times congressional reporter Carl Hulse said that one thing driving national media interest in today's election is that it's "the first hot race of the year."

"It's the best test right now as to what is in congressional politics in the battle for the House," Hulse said.

Also running in the race are Independent William Griffith and Libertarian Paul King.

Voters in the concurrent primary election today will also pick their choices for the November ballot. The winner of that election will serve a full, two-year term beginning in January.

Contact staff writer William Finn Bennett at (760) 740-5426, or wbennett@nctimes.com.