When it comes to next year’s 36th Senate District contest (Senator Dennis Hollingsworth will be termed out), it’s pretty well known that Assemblyman Joel Anderson is considering his prospects, although a final decision is yet to come.
Where that leaves Anderson’s 77th Assembly District, two years prior to his six years being up, is in the hands of several possible candidates, each awaiting the decision.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve posed the same question to the "anyone I could think of group," i.e. those that have been talked about in the echo chamber and/or those known to be looking at it themselves. The question, in essence: If (and only if) Joel Anderson seeks the Senate seat in 2010, would you consider running for AD 77?
The responses being gathered were to turn into a "handicapping the field" column — and they still will — but in the meantime one of the prospects appears to be the first to quasi-officially announce her candidacy, given the pending "if" tied to Anderson’s "if."
Christine Ribeiro Rubin, most recently the district director for Senator Mark Wyland, yesterday sent an email to supporters announcing her intent to seek the seat. She also set up a Facebook page.
First, Rubin’s response to me:
Barry, I am opening an exploratory committee and will be a candidate for the 77th Assembly district, should Assemblyman Anderson chose not to seek a third term.
Her email to friends:
I wanted you to be one of the first to know that I am a candidate for California’s 77th Assembly District in 2010. Please forgive me if this email seems impersonal but I wanted you to hear it from me first, and not from the media. The California Secretary of State posted my filing today, so by tomorrow, the news will have spread far and wide.
I have known many of you for years and we have worked on a number of projects and campaigns. We have shared good times and great challenges. I look forward to talking with each of you personally in the coming weeks as I build my coalitions, create my finance committee, and mobilize supporters for the great success we will enjoy in June.
My website will be live in the coming days (as if you had any doubt). If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you.
Christine Rubin
Christine for Assembly
Whether you consider the FlashReport the "media" or not (I certainly do), consider this as the media now having it.
A little more background on Ms. Rubin, from Wyland’s website:
A veteran of political communications, event planning and public service, Rubin recently served as Communications Director for the State and Consumer Services Agency under the Schwarzenegger Administration. There, Rubin was responsible for developing communications strategies to highlight the work of the department. She also has also worked on numerous political campaigns, including the 2000 John McCain Presidential campaign, and most recently served as the Southern California Communications Director for the McCain 2008 primary election. A strong community activist, Rubin holds a Master’s Degree in Communication from San Diego State University. She is also a member of Leadership California’s class of 2008.
That’s all for now.