State senator apparently wins California primary

Congressman's widow hasn't conceded

September 22, 1999
Web posted at: 11:36 a.m. EDT (1536 GMT)

SAN BERNARDINO, California -- The widow of Democratic Rep. George E. Brown Jr. has apparently failed to advance to a runoff after losing a special election for her husband's seat, but has refused to concede the election.

Marta Macias Brown refused to concede early Wednesday morning, citing 1,750 ballots that had not yet been counted from Tuesday's election. They were absentee ballots turned in late and ballots cast by voters whose registration needed to be validated. The ballots were expected to be tallied by Friday.

"I'm afraid I can't give you an end to this story. We'll have to wait for the next chapter," Mrs. Brown told about 50 supporters.

Of the ballots counted, state Sen. Joe Baca had 11,689 votes, or 31.5 percent, and Mrs. Brown had 11,201 votes, or 30.2 percent. Republican businessman Elia Pirozzi finished with 10,152 votes, or 27.4 percent.

Baca and Pirozzi will meet in a November 16 runoff, which is being held because none of the 10 candidates won a majority -- 50 percent plus one vote. The top vote-getter from each party advances if no one receives a majority.

Pirozzi lost to Brown by a 15 percent margin last year.

Baca was greeted by "Baca, Baca, Baca" by about 250 jubilant supporters when he arrived at his campaign headquarters.

"I think we all have to mend the fences," he told the crowd. He added later: "We can feel good about what we did because we ran a positive campaign."

The race is seen as a preview of the 2000 election. Democrats dominated the primary, which Republicans had seen as a test of their ability to build on the party's 222 to 211 seat majority in the House.

Runoff set for November

Brown was halfway through his 18th term representing the San Bernardino-area district when he died in July. Mrs. Brown, 54, worked on her husband's staff, decided to run to finish out her husband's term.

"Whenever you needed help and called George, I answered," Mrs. Brown touted in one of her television commercials.

Baca enjoyed strong union backing in a district where labor votes count. and he argues that Brown's widowhood shouldn't be the deciding factor in this race.

"If I was a CEO, does that mean that my wife automatically accepts that position?" Baca said. "No, that means she has to earn it based on her qualifications."

Gun control was the key national issue in the campaign, particularly in the race between Baca and Mrs. Brown.

Mrs. Brown advocated banning assault weapons and cheap handguns, and accused Baca of being "the radical gun lobby's favorite Democrat." She focused on his decision to abstain from a recent vote to ban the production and sale of cheap pistols known as Saturday night specials and the campaign contributions he received from gun lobbyists.

Baca, 52, combated Mrs. Brown's attacks with a mailer that pictured him standing next to Gov. Gray Davis as the governor signed a bill requiring that guns be sold with trigger locks. The mailer also highlighted his vote to ban unaccompanied minors from gun shows.

Mrs. Brown and Baca are both Hispanic and have courted Hispanic residents, who represent more than a fourth of the district's 244,000 registered voters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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RELATED SITES
San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters Web site