5 Seek Election To Rural Northern California Assembly Seat

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Four Republicans and one Democrat are seeking to succeed a state Assemblyman in a sprawling, Republican-leaning Northern California district.

Tuesday's special primary election will send the top-two vote-getters, no matter their political party, to a Nov. 5 runoff election unless one candidate wins more than half the vote. The rural district that is bigger than West Virginia stretches from suburban Sacramento to the state's northeastern corner, covering all or parts of nine counties.

Megan Dahle of Bieber is seeking to win the Assembly District 1 seat vacated when her husband, Republican Brian Dahle, won an empty Senate seat in June. She's benefiting from support from unions representing firefighters, highway patrolmen and prison guards, as well as a peace officers' association and a half-dozen county sheriffs.

Her campaign collections and spending were far more than any other candidate. Independent groups, mainly one backed by realtors and the prison guards' union, have spent more than $200,000 on her behalf.

The other Republicans include Redding gun shop owner and former City Councilman Patrick Henry Jones. He was elected to the Redding City Council in 2006 and was re-elected in 2010.

Lane Rickard once ran field operations and the Redding office of former Republican state Sen. Ted Gaines, and now is a consultant seeking his boss' old job. This year's special elections were triggered when Gaines won a seat on the statewide Board of Equalization in November.

Disabled veteran Joe Turner of Milford was chairman of the Lassen County Republican Central Committee before resigning to seek the open Assembly seat.

The district's registered voters are 40% Republican and 28% Democrats, with another 22% having no party preference, but Democrat Elizabeth Betancourt hopes to carve out a win. She describes herself as a farmer, small business owner and rural advocate living in Shasta County.