H. Abram Wilson and Joan Buchanan, the two rival candidates in one of California's most competitive Assembly races of 2008, have more in common than they are likely to admit.
Wilson, 62, of San Ramon and Buchanan, 55, of Alamo, may disagree on everything from their views on taxes to their picks for president. But the Assembly District 15 hopefuls, who live less than 12 miles away from each other in the affluent East Bay suburbs, also swim in the same tight-knit pond of local politicos and have similar civic experience.
Wilson, a Republican, is the current mayor of San Ramon and a nine-year member of the City Council. Buchanan, a Democrat, is an 18-year school board veteran in the top-performing San Ramon Valley Unified district, where both her and Wilson's children attended school.
At stake is the seat in the 15th Assembly district, which spans Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin and Sacramento counties. Now occupied by Guy Houston, the soon-to-be-termed-out Republican Assemblyman, it is the Bay Area's only remaining GOP-held seat in the state legislature.
The outcome of the Assembly race and a number of others around the state could have far-reaching implications, California GOP and Democratic leaders say.
Democrats need six seats to reach the magical two-thirds majority in the Assembly, which would give them the ability to pass a budget or raise taxes without having to rely on Republican votes.
For the chance at such a Advertisementrare opportunity, the California Democratic Party is spending big bucks on key elections this year, said party spokesman Bob Mulholland.
Among the top five Assembly races Democrats are targeting is District 15, said Mulholland, who declined to state how much money the party plans to invest in Buchanan's campaign, but noted, "It won't be pennies."
The California Republican Party will fight equally as hard to ensure a Wilson win, said state GOP chairman Tom Del Beccaro.
Holding on to GOP seats in the Assembly is "essential to keeping discussions in the Legislature balanced," added Del Beccaro, who said the Assembly District 15 seat in particular has "great symbolic value" for Bay Area Republicans.
The intensity surrounding the race is owed in part to voter registration numbers, which show Democrats may be overtaking Republicans in the East Bay suburbs. Several former conservative strongholds, including Wilson's hometown of San Ramon, have switched camps in the past year, giving Democrats a slight voter registration advantage.
Democrats, who say the less than 2-percentage-point edge bodes well for Buchanan, attribute the political shift to widespread dissatisfaction with the Bush adminstration.
But GOP leaders say they expect the margin will close in coming weeks because of the popularity of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
"Between Buchanan and Wilson, this could end up being the most expensive AD 15 race (both parties) have ever had," Del Beccaro said.
Both candidates have transcended social obstacles to pursue their political careers, and both have battled economic crises in their jurisdictions — experiences they say have prepared them for the state Legislature. They offer different views on taxes and other issues, however.
Wilson, a retired investment banker, was elected to his first City Council term in 1999. He saw San Ramon's then sharply divided council fire a city manager, hire another, engage in a bitter debate and change personalities when three members walked away in 2003 and 2004. Five years ago, the city struggled with a several million dollar deficit; now San Ramon boasts a healthy reserve, which Wilson says he helped develop through his work on the city's finance committee.
Wilson also helped broker a lucrative deal with developers to build a long sought-after downtown area in San Ramon, though he has been criticized by local environmentalists who say he is too closely aligned with developers.
Buchanan was elected to the school board in 1990 when the district was in chaos. Two board members had just been recalled, schools were in disrepair for lack of funding and the teachers were on strike. She says the district's current healthy bottom line and stellar academic record would not be possible without a good relationship with the teachers union and multiple school tax measures she has helped push through since joining the board.
Over the years, Buchanan has been the target of a small but vocal minority of anti-tax activists in the San Ramon Valley who have accused of her of pandering to the teachers union.
Wilson is quick to point out, "The school district has (a balanced budget) because of taxes. To balance San Ramon's budget I can't go out and pass a tax. I have to find some other way."
As an African-American mayor in the less than 5-percent black San Ramon Valley, Wilson says people are often surprised to learn he is "a Republican all the way" and supports presidential candidate John McCain, not Barack Obama.
Instead it is Buchanan — a single mother and self-proclaimed tomboy who grew up in a working-class family — who says she "lines up with Obama." The retired director of commercial operations for Delta Dental says she is used to being a woman in the male-dominated business and political sphere.
From the beginning, Buchanan's fundraising outpaced Wilson's. She raised more than $391,000 from Jan. 1 to June 30, according most recent campaign records — more than double the $180,437 Wilson raised during that same period.
Wilson, whose father died shortly before the filing deadline, got into the race late after vacillating for weeks. Before the primary election, he was criticized by some of his biggest supporters for not working hard enough to win the Republican nomination. His June 3 victory surprised everyone, including himself.
During a recent interview, Wilson appeared back on top of his game. "The campaign is going fantastic. I'm just receiving so much positive input from everyone."
Buchanan was equally optimistic. "I had people tell me for years, 'Joan, you should run (for a state office)." She says she finally made the decision to run for Assembly after witnessing years of party "gridlock" in the state capitol and its effect on California's troubled school system.
"All the things I've worked for at the school level are in jeopardy," she said.
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