Gilchrist Defeated

Posted on December 7, 2005 in The Orange

Jim Gilchrist declared himself a winner even though he came in last in the special congressional election. Democrat Steve Young came up with the traditional 28% held by Democrats since time immemorium here in South Orange County. The race went to State Senator John Campbell.

If the Democrats had put a little effort into winning this race, would Young have come in first? I wonder.

Gilchrist was ebullient:

“This is just a start,” he said at a party Tuesday night in Lake Forest. “We’ve got a huge victory tonight because we’ve issued a wake-up call to America…. Our cause is not over, nor is my aspiration for my political career.”

Experts said the five-person race could provide a unique opportunity to gauge the effectiveness of illegal immigration as an issue in Republican areas.

“Illegal immigration is the overwhelming issue in Orange County, and that’s why he was able to come out of nowhere, because it was the perfect issue for Gilchrist to run on,” said consultant Scott Hart, who supports Campbell.

But it wasn’t enough, he said. “As a member of Congress, you have to tackle a number of critical issues facing this country.”

Added Fred Smoller, a political science professor at Chapman University in Orange: “The share of the vote that Gilchrist receives will be watched across the nation by people like the president of the United States.”

The AIPs are on the rise.