Harman eyes attorney general seat

Sen. Tom Harman is considering running to be California’s next attorney general in 2010.

The longtime Huntington Beach civil lawyer and Republican says he disagrees with some of Democratic incumbent Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown’s policies and is exploring a campaign to win his job. It would be a tough match-up for Harman, some Democrats and Republicans say, as few people in California have the name recognition of Brown, who was a two-term governor, a secretary of state and a big-city mayor among other things in his long political career.

But it’s widely speculated that Brown will run for governor in 2010 and leave the attorney general’s seat available. Of course, Brown’s decision, some political observers say, could depend on whether Sen. Dianne Feinstein runs for governor as termed-out Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger runs for the U.S. Senate.

Still, Harman, who has pulled papers to run for attorney general but has not officially announced a bid, would be faced with an electorate that has many more Democrats than Republicans. But Orange County Republican leader Scott Baugh points to two-term Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as an example of how the right Republicans can win statewide elections.

Harman also thinks he would be helped by the fact that there will be no presidential election and that a Democrat will be in the White House.

“I’m optimistic. Some pundits think that in two years the Republicans will experience a resurgence and historically that has, in fact, happened,” Harman said.

Harman has been in public office for more than a decade, having served six years as a Huntington Beach City Councilman, six years in the Assembly, and he is embarking on his second term as a state senator.

He criticizes Brown for aggressively enforcing environmental laws, especially under Assembly Bill 32, which calls for the state to limit carbon emissions. Harman says that even before plans had been made to implement that law, Brown was suing and threatening to sue counties such as San Bernardino for trying to pass general plans that did not address ways to limit carbon emissions.

By doing this, Brown blocked development and growth that would improve the health of the economy in rough economic times, according to Harman, and if he continues such stringent policies things could get worse.

“It’s going to have some very dramatic effects on the California economy and business,” Harman said.