Democrat favored in Northern Calif. House race

The Democrat and longtime player on California's political stage is favored in the 10th Congressional District, where Democrats hold an 18-point registration edge over Republicans. The seat opened up when the Democratic incumbent took a job in the Obama administration.

Garamendi's Republican opponent, lawyer David Harmer, has been trying to appeal to voters concerned about the pace of spending by the federal government, betting that a message of fiscal conservatism will resonate amid an ongoing recession.

Election officials in the congressional district's four counties reported light traffic at the polls Tuesday, but it was not a surprise. Special elections generally see lighter turnout, and nearly half the district's 365,000 registered voters are signed up to vote by mail.

As of Monday, about half the vote-by-mail ballots had been returned in the district's four counties.

In Contra Costa County, which holds nearly 70 percent of the district's voters, just 10 percent of the county's registered voters had cast ballots at the polls by 1 p.m., said Stephen Weir, the Registrar of Voters.

"Traditionally, two-thirds of the vote would come in after 4, but these special elections don't act like anything else," Weir said. "Close to 80 percent of our voters are doing so by mail."

Weir projected the overall voter turnout in his county would be about 30 percent, on par with the 32 percent turnout for the September primary.

The district stretches from the suburbs of the eastern San Francisco Bay area to the edge of the state capital and includes parts of Alameda, Solano and Sacramento counties.

Garamendi, 64, enjoys wide name recognition because of his many years in elective office and two failed runs for the Democratic nomination for governor.

The former state lawmaker and insurance commissioner has been in politics for 35 years, including serving as deputy secretary of the Interior Department in the Clinton administration. He has been playing up his reputation as a loyal Democrat who will support Obama administration policies.

Garamendi could not vote in the election because he lives just outside the district but planned to watch returns with family, friends and volunteers at his Walnut Creek campaign headquarters. Candidates are not required to live within a particular district to run for a congressional seat.

He is trying to maintain the Democratic Party's control of a seat that was held previously by former Rep. Ellen Tauscher, who was named earlier this year to a State Department position. If he wins, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would appoint a replacement for his current post.

Harmer, 47, also has a political pedigree. His father, John Harmer, served briefly as California's lieutenant governor, from 1974 to 1975.

He is campaigning against what he claims is excessive government spending and is hoping to appeal to moderate Democrats and independents, who account for 20 percent of the district's registered voters. The National Republican Congressional Committee has mailed fliers for Harmer in the final week of the race but has not contributed money directly to his campaign.

A Harmer upset is a longshot in a district that overwhelmingly favored Barack Obama in last year's presidential race. Harmer planned to campaign right up to the last hour to bridge that gap, including hosting a 6 p.m. telephone town hall to court undecided voters.

"If your mind isn't made up yet, this is your chance to ask any question," Harmer said.

Harmer cast his vote at a middle school in San Ramon and planned to join supporters at a pizzeria in Walnut Creek to watch the evening returns.