FLASHREPORT

The 35th SD special election is only six weeks away (April 11). Dana Point Councilwoman Diane Harkey has been campaigning hard -- at least eight campaign mailers to date, including an absentee ballot program. Two of the mailers hit Assemblyman Tom Harman hard on his votes for tuition for illegal immigrants and sponsorship of the diaper tax [by the way, OC Blog has been posting the mail as it goes out -- click here for an overview]. Harkey has the endorsements of just about every major OC GOP political leader, as well as Lincoln Club and the HJTA. The New Majority will likely make a decision in the near future.

Today, this simple, hard-hitting Harkey ad (see link at end of post) began airing on local cable channels, contrasting the two candidates on illegal immigration.

I'm not sure what to make of the Harman campaign. Other than two taxpayer-funded "constituent communications" that went out to 87,000 voters on the topics of the Taxpayer Protection Act and stopping illegal immigration, Harman hasn't mailed a single piece, as far as I can tell.

Given the special election primary rules, where any voter can vote for any candidate regardless of party affiliation, you'd think Harman would be targeting the voters who propelled him to victory in the 2000 "open" primary. Even on that front, however, Harman appears quiescent. Last Friday I spoke to a politically-active friend of mine who lives in the 35th SD. He's a Democrat, his wife is a Decline-To-State and they're both high-propensity voters -- exactly the voter Harman should be targeting.

Yet, they haven't received a single mailer from the Harman campaign.

Granted, Harman started out with much greater name ID than Harkey. But that alone won't carry Harman over the finish line in the face of Harkey's determined and relentless campaign.

But with six weeks to go until the April 11 election, I'm sure we've only seen the beginning of the action.