San
Diego
Union-Tribune
Blue might be making small move in red turf
By
logan jenkins
July
23, 2009
Up in North County, we just don't see armed and dangerous Democratic candidates in partisan races. . . .
The times have not a'changed, but they appear to be a'changin' for Democrats in North County. The question is: How much – and how fast?
When [Dede] Alpert, who is now retired as a state senator, ran in the old 75th Assembly District, Republicans numbered 51 percent of the electorate. In today's 74th Assembly District, Republicans make up 42 percent. Democrats comprise 31 percent.
Despite the tightening, it's still a surprise that Democrat Crystal Crawford, the mayor of Del Mar, is raising money to unseat Republican incumbent Martin Garrick in 2010.
Currently in her third council term, Crawford doesn't fit the traditional Democratic candidate mold in North County. The political axiom is that you can't beat somebody with nobody. In North County politics, Crawford, an experienced attorney who has rigorously schooled herself in regional government, is somebody. . . . Crawford says the catalyst for her entering the race was the Sacramento budget meltdown that will rob cities of billions of dollars.
A Crawford campaign against the ideologically driven stalemates in the Capitol could put [the incumbent] on the defensive.
Is it possible that 2010 could see the resurrection of anti-incumbent anger that marked the early 1990s?
Alpert, who has counseled Crawford and encouraged her to run, believes female candidates naturally blur either/or political lines.
“Voters tend to see women in a bipartisan way, as problem-solvers,” she said. { more }
Del
Mar
Times
Crawford
to
run
for
Assembly
By
Laura
Petersen
May
21,
2009
Del
Mar
Mayor
Crystal
Crawford
is
running
for
state
Assembly
against
incumbent
Martin
Garrick
for
the
74th
district
seat
in
November
2010. "People
are
frustrated
and
tired
of
the
status
quo
in
Sacramento,
and
I am
too," Crawford
said. "At
some
point,
you
have
to
stop
complaining
about
what
the
problems
are
and
you
have
to
get
out
there
and
do
something
about
it." { more }
