Election 2004: Democrat Ira Ruskin wins Assembly race Election 2004: Democrat Ira Ruskin wins Assembly race (November 10, 2004)

** Moderate appeal and high spending by Republican opponent could not clinch it.

By David Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer

In the race for the 21st state Assembly district, where Democrats have ruled uninterrupted for 18 years, a Democrat -- this time, three-term Redwood City Councilman Ira Ruskin -- is again the winner. Los Gatos-based Republican Steve Poizner conceded the race around noon Monday.

But with a margin of 4 percentage points -- 52 percent to 48 percent -- it must have felt more than a little competitive for the Democrats. In hot pursuit was Mr. Poizner, who is independently wealthy, ran as an independent moderate and refused Republican party campaign contributions.

"I've never underestimated any opponent," said Mr. Ruskin. "You work as hard as you can. You never let up, from Day One until the polls close. It's an endurance race."

It was a first-time experience for Mr. Poizner, a political newcomer. "I'm pretty proud of what we did," he said. "It was considered totally impossible to pull off a victory here. ... We succeeded in putting together a really broad coalition of Republicans, Democrats and independents."

In the district, which stretches from the Almaden Valley in Santa Clara County to San Carlos in San Mateo County, registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 44 percent to 32 percent, with 20 percent calling themselves independents.

The semi-official election results show regional differences, with 56 percent of the vote in San Mateo County going for Mr. Ruskin, while Santa Clara County went for Mr. Poizner with 51.66 percent.

"This was a lively campaign," said departing Assemblyman Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto. "That's a healthy thing, whether you win or lose. Kudos to both of these guys for making that happen."

Mr. Simitian was elected to the state Senate for the 11th district, which Sen. Byron Sher is leaving due to term limits.

High roller

This was an expensive race. Combining the primary and general elections, the two candidates raised $8.6 million and spent $6.6 million, according to campaign officials and state records, with Mr. Poizner's campaign accounting for 75 percent of money raised and 86 percent of money spent.

These totals are greater than in nine of the top 10 races for the House of Representatives nationwide this year, according to figures provided by the Web site of the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group based in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Poizner, who is retired after 20 years as a high-technology entrepreneur, sold SnapTrack -- a company he founded -- to Qualcomm Corp. for $1 billion in 2000. SnapTrack developed a device that can be added to a cell phone to geographically locate it during a 911 call.

Mr. Ruskin, who has had a 20-year career in business communications consulting, accepted the state's voluntary spending limit of $744,000 for the general election. The law may have allowed him unlimited spending after Mr. Poizner's personal contributions to the campaign exceeded $744,000, but Mr. Ruskin pledged to stay within the limit.

"I thought that it was the right thing to do," he said, adding that he had not yet decided what to do with the approximately $820,000 in unspent contributions.

Strengths and weaknesses

Sports are known for efforts to keep a level playing field. Politics is more complicated. Mr. Poizner, despite his centrist approach, faced an uphill battle as a novice Republican in a Democratic district and in a highly charged election with a controversial Republican president at the top of the ticket.

On the plus side, he had no money worries, a notable business career, an outsider image, and a record of advocacy for K-12 education reform in a district known for its education priorities. He had three high-profile endorsements from independent Republicans: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke, and Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona.

He also apparently had plenty of energy. By his count, he knocked on 11,000 doors during precinct walking.

"Poizner put a lot of sweat equity into this campaign," said adviser and Hoover Institution scholar Bill Whalen, adding: "He almost got the boulder up the hill."

Mr. Poizner justified his high spending on the fact that he was running in a district that rarely supports Republican candidates. He compared his advertising to product marketing, which, he said, seldom convinces anyone to buy, but can get their attention.

"It's an enormous effort to get people to stop and compare," he said.

In a competitive race in an oddly shaped district with gaps in cable TV coverage, direct mail is the key but every avenue must be used, said Mr. Simitian. The debates, though well attended, represented "an infinitesimal fraction" of voters, he added. "You have to do it all, knowing that not all of it is going to be terribly effective."

Mr. Ruskin, though on friendly ground, had his own problems, said Mr. Simitian. His narrow primary victory in a tough four-way race had left a fractured Democratic base, an exhausted campaign, and a depleted bank account, Mr. Simitian said.

Mr. Poizner's primary race had been "clear sailing" and he had had the field to himself while the Ruskin campaign restocked, Mr. Simitian said.

Much of that replenishment came as donations from unions, political action committees and the Democratic party. Mr. Simitian said he doesn't fault Mr. Ruskin on his funding sources or his decision not to try to match his opponent's advertising output.

"It's very hard, when you're in (Ruskin's) situation, not to respond," he said. "It takes discipline to hold money in reserve for when people are engaged, near the end of the campaign."

Ruskin campaign spokesman Jim Evans said the campaign relied on support for traditional Democratic positions on the issues and a grass-roots effort, including precinct walking in Palo Alto.

Mr. Ruskin's local government record also spoke volumes, Mr. Evans said, adding that Mr. Poizner did not effectively challenge Mr. Ruskin's record.

Assembly District 21

San Mateo County Santa Clara County Totals

Ira Rushkin 41,335 (56.18%) 44,364 (48.24%) 85,699 (51.79%)

Steve Poizner
32,243

(43.82%)

47,513

(51.66%)

79,756

(48.2%)

Source: Registrar of Voters for San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties as of November 8, 2004

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