This wasn’t supposed to be a two-way contest. In fact, up to the day of the filing deadline, former Assemblyman Jerome Horton, D-Inglewood, had been expected to enter the race.
But he never filed the paperwork, leaving Dymally, the veteran legislator, past member of Congress and lieutenant governor, running against Wright, a moderate pro-business Democrat.
Two other Democrats, Kevin Biggers, a former Hesperia City Council member, and Donald Dear, the former mayor of Gardena, are running, as well. Neither has reported raising any funds, according to the latest campaign filings.
All four are scheduled to debate this Saturday at a meeting of the Westchester Democratic Club.
The gerrymandered 25th district contorts around South Los Angeles taking in Inglewood, Compton, Gardena, Rancho Palos Verdes and more.
Dymally has the advantage of incumbency – he’s a sitting member of the Assembly – while Wright has been out of office since 2002, when he termed out of the Assembly.
They are seeking the seat of termed-out Sen. Ed Vincent, a reliable Democratic caucus vote who been absent much of the last legislative session.
Wright has sought to make the election about electing a new generation of leadership (Dymally turns 82 in May). But with only $67,000 in the bank as of the latest filings, he may have a hard time getting his message out. Dymally had a $194,000 campaign treasury.
Dymally has the backing of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which is particularly of note because the Senate seat overlaps with the Los Angeles County supervisor race the federation has made its top get-out-the-vote priority.
Wright, who briefly served as an aide in Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata’s Los Angeles office, touts the backing of Perata, Vincent, Sen. Darrell Steinberg and neighboring Sen. Alan Lowenthal, among others, on his Web site.
Campaign Web sites:
Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally (no Web site)
Kevin Biggers,former Hesperia City Council member,
Don Dear, former Mayor of Gardena (no website)
District profile: SD 25
Current member: Sen. Ed Vincent
Total registered voters: 463,330
Democratic: 59.23 percent
Republican: 20.16 percent
Declined-to-state: 19.53 percent
Registered Democrats, by county:
Los Angeles: 201,623
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