Congressional candidate Steve Young secured the endorsement of state
Democratic Party officials Wednesday, but he'll still have to vie
with three other Democrats on Oct. 4 to replace former Rep. Chris
Cox. Of the 39 people who voted Wednesday, 30 selected Young for the
endorsement.
Young, 51, a Newport Beach attorney, prevailed over retired
teacher Bea Foster, 67, of North Tustin; UC Irvine business professor
John Graham, 58, of Irvine; and marketing consultant Tom Pallow, 41,
of Tustin.
"We have been counted as irrelevant in the press," Young said.
"I'm planning on winning this race."
How much the endorsement means is up in the air. The conventional
wisdom is that a Democrat stands little chance of winning even an
open seat in the 48th Congressional District. Cox, a Republican, held
the seat easily since first winning it in 1988.
With that in mind, some Democratic voters have said they'll
consider supporting Republican Marilyn Brewer, who paints herself as
fiscally conservative but socially moderate, supporting abortion
rights and stem cell research, for example.
Republican drops out
The last time a gaggle of candidates was seeking a congressional
seat representing Newport Beach, the race thinned a bit as some chose
to drop out. It happened in 1988, and it may be happening again.
Republican John Kelly, one of 10 from the GOP vying to replace
Cox, announced Wednesday that Marshall Samuel Sanders -- also a
Republican -- has quit the race and is now endorsing him.
Kelly, who owns a men's store in Tustin, also ran for the seat
back in 1988, along with then-unknown Chuck DeVore, who's now a state
assemblyman. In the earlier race, DeVore decided to drop out and back
Cox.
Sanders' departure would leave nine Republicans in the race, but
one would-be candidate has decided to run a write-in campaign. After
failing to gather enough signatures to get on the ballot, Republican
Delecia Holt is continuing to campaign as a write-in candidate.
A press release from Holt's campaign this week said she's holding
forums with voters to discuss immigration and how to strengthen child
protection laws and job creation.
Candidates sans professions
Two candidates for the 48th Congressional District seat --
American Independent Party candidate Jim Gilchrist and Republican
Edward Suppe -- won't have professions listed after their names on
the Oct. 4 primary election ballot.
Both candidates asked for designations that the Secretary of State
said didn't comply with state law, and neither candidate submitted a
