Orange County
48th Congressional District Primary Election
October 4, 2005, 10:46 PM

Unofficial Results for Election

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Registration and Turnout
Completed Precincts: 268 of 268
Reg/Turnout Percentage
Total Registered Voters 402006
Precinct Registration 402006
Precinct Ballots Cast 31959 7.9%
Early Ballots Cast 962 0.2%
Absentee Ballots Cast 47440 11.8%
Total Ballots Cast 80361 20.0%

UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE 48th District
Vote Count Percentage
JOHN CAMPBELL (REP) 36640 46.0%
MARILYN C. BREWER (REP) 13272 16.7%
JIM GILCHRIST (AI) 11490 14.4%
STEVE YOUNG (DEM) 7110 8.9%
JOHN GRAHAM (DEM) 3242 4.1%
BEA FOSTER (DEM) 2606 3.3%
DON UDALL (REP) 1284 1.6%
JOHN KELLY (REP) 955 1.2%
BÉA TIRITILLI (GRN) 698 0.9%
BRUCE COHEN (LIB) 667 0.8%
DAVID R. CROUCH (REP) 455 0.6%
SCOTT MACCABE (REP) 353 0.4%
MARSHA A. MORRIS (REP) 322 0.4%
TOM PALLOW (DEM) 270 0.3%
GUY E. MAILLY (REP) 138 0.2%
MARSHALL SAMUEL SANDERS (REP) 94 0.1%
EDWARD A. SUPPE (REP) 87 0.1%

Go Jim!!!
Read em and weep!!!


Election Day vote:

Campbell 37%
Gilchrist 27%
Brewer 19%
Young 7%

Election Day vote:

Campbell 37%
Gilchrist 27%
Brewer 19%
Young 7%

According to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, Jim Gilchrist received only 11,490 votes, or 14.4% of all ballots cast. This means that 85.6% of the people who voted in this special election cast ballots for a candidate other than Gilchrist.

Jim Gilchrist has succeeded in forcing a runoff election in December.

Gilchrist had 3 weeks to prepare a campaign against a Republican with money to burn who had been campaigning for many months.

The voters for Gilchrist have sent a message to Republican Party and Washington, DC - and this is a victory!

Go Jim!

Victory! Jim Gilchrist advances to Dec. 6 general election

Stunningly holds off GOP front-runners
Outdraws leading Democrat
Scores second-place surge on election day

October 5, 2005

With 268 of 268 precincts reporting in California's District 48, Minuteman Founder Jim Gilchrist emerged victorious from Tuesday's primary, having forced a run-off of the top vote-getters of each qualified party in a Dec. 6 special general election—and having scored a second-place surge of Election Day votes.

Gilchrist climbed steadily as the precinct-vote results were coming in, while Republican State Assemblyman John Campbell dropped steadily beneath the 50% threshold needed to win outright, settling at 45.7%.

Gilchrist drew 14.6% in the County Registrar’s near-final tally—an unprecedented and formidable showing for an Independent candidate in a crowded field of 17 hopefuls. Leading Democrat Steve Young drew single digits, at 8.7%.

Gilchrist, Campbell, and Young will contend in December for a seat vacated by the appointment of Rep. Chris Cox to the Securities and Exchange Commission, necessitating the special election.

A total of 89,991 votes were cast in the primary, representing 22% of registered voters in the district.

In assessing Tuesday's results, the most astonishing political result is that Gilchrist garnered nearly 27% of the precinct votes actually cast on Election Day (as opposed to votes cast early by absentee ballot)--demonstrating a 21-point surge following the two weeks of Early/Absentee Voting, compared to a 15-point drop for Campbell on election day.

Early/Absentee vote:

Campbell 52%
Brewer 15%
Young 10%
Gilchrist 6%

Election Day vote:

Campbell 37%
Gilchrist 27%
Brewer 19%
Young 7%

It's worth noting that over 60% of all ballots cast were submitted as "absentee" ballots (which under California law are essentially equivalent to voting by mail). Many, if not most, of these ballots were submitted weeks earlier—before the Gilchrist campaign made its final push prior to Tuesday's election.

The Gilchrist campaign now has two full months to continue to put Jim Gilchrist in front of the electorate before the general election—and clearly, as people come to know Jim, they love him and what he stands for.

This two-month window will greatly benefit Jim Gilchrist, who enjoys a substantial 48th District and national following for his leadership on America’s border security and illegal immigration crisis.

O.C. Race Shapes Up as a Duel
Gilchrist's strong finish Tuesday makes him chief rival to the GOP's Campbell. In a special election, anything's possible, one expert says.

By Jean O. Pasco, Times Staff Writer


When state Sen. John Campbell makes his final push in December to win a prized congressional district in coastal Orange County, the biggest fight may come not from his Democratic opponent but from a retired accountant who gained notoriety by watching for illegal immigrants at the Mexican border.

Voter discontent over illegal immigration propelled Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist, a first-time candidate and member of the American Independent Party, into a strong third-place finish in Tuesday's special election to succeed Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) in the 48th District.

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The biggest surprise wasn't Campbell, who won 46% of Tuesday's vote — short of an outright victory, but enough to secure the Republican nomination for a Dec. 6 showdown among top party vote-getters.

More striking was that Gilchrist — a political unknown a year ago — grabbed more votes than the top Democrat, Steve Young. He also came within shouting distance of the second-place finisher, former Assemblywoman Marilyn C. Brewer of Newport Beach, a Republican who represented much of the district for six years.

Gilchrist made a splash this year when he created a group of volunteers to take shifts watching for illegal crossings into the United States from Mexico, staging their first protest in Arizona. His Minuteman Project — instant fodder for television and radio talk shows — was praised by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger but derided as vigilantes by President Bush.

"This is the first time I've seen a third-party candidate with such a strong showing," marveled political consultant Scott Hart of Newport Beach, who wasn't affiliated with any of the 17 candidates on the ballot.

"Illegal immigration was Gilchrist's issue and his platform, and that's why people were voting for him," Hart said. "It shows how strong the issue is."

Momentum is on Gilchrist's side for the Dec. 6 election, his campaign manager, Howie Morgan, said Wednesday amid a buzz of renewed activity after Tuesday's results.

"It's going to be a two-man race between Jim and John, and we haven't even begun to fight on illegal immigration," said Morgan, a Lake Forest resident. "We've raised our profile in the race and voters are responding."

Democrat Young, Libertarian Bruce Cohen and Bea Tiritilli of the Green Party will also be on the ballot.

In a regular election, Gilchrist's optimism could be misplaced. But in low-turnout special elections — only 20% of registered voters cast ballots Tuesday — anything's possible, particularly with a galvanizing issue, said Allan Hoffenblum, a Republican political analyst in Los Angeles.

"Illegal immigration is a festering political problem that neither party is addressing, and Gilchrist has credibility on the issue," Hoffenblum said. "But I think Gilchrist probably peaked on Tuesday. This is a solid Republican district that obviously is concerned about illegal immigration and they're going to want a congressman that's more reflective of the district, and that's really John Campbell."

Illegal immigration was not a core issue for Cox, who represented the district for 17 years before he resigned Aug. 2 to become chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Gilchrist will force Campbell — a millionaire former car dealer — to continue talking about illegal immigration, said Mark Petracca, a political science professor at UC Irvine and a Democrat.

"It's not popular with his country club friends, and that's because illegal immigrants are out there cutting the country club lawn," Petracca said.

Gilchrist's campaign got early attention for his Minuteman connection. But it didn't take off until two weeks ago, when radio and television advertisements began to run across the district, which stretches from Newport Beach to San Juan Capistrano. On Monday, Gilchrist debated Campbell for an hour on "The John and Ken Show" on KFI-AM (640).

In early returns based on a hefty chunk of absentee ballots, Gilchrist was well behind Young, an attorney from Newport Beach who had advertised on the cable TV system that serves Leisure World Laguna Woods. But as votes from polling places rolled in, Gilchrist's numbers surged.

While Campbell and Young picked up half again as many votes over their absentee-ballot showing, Gilchrist's count swelled by 250%, picking up an additional 8,200 votes — far more than Brewer, who had focused most of her effort on turning out election-day voters.

Campbell ended up with 25,000 more votes than Gilchrist and 23,000 more than Brewer, out of 80,000 cast.

Those are the numbers that matter, said Dave Gilliard, Campbell's campaign manager. Gilchrist will be just another name on the Dec. 6 ballot, he predicted.

"We're going to run our campaign on the issues that John wants to focus on in Congress," he said. "We're not going to change anything."

But Campbell found himself on the defensive over his record on illegal immigration. He had to explain why he'd voted in the Assembly to allow in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants attending state colleges and another vote to allow the acceptance of Mexican consular cards for identification.

He said the votes were a mistake and argued that he'd subsequently proved himself on the issue. He voted to block money for undocumented immigrants in the state budget and is co-chair of an initiative intended for a 2006 vote to create a state border police. He also funded a referendum in 2003 to pressure the Legislature to repeal a bill granting driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.

Jeez, are some people in Orange County that retarded, and do retards come in all races (whose that fat Mexican dude that supports Antichrist, whats his name, Panson Hernandez or algo?)? You can fool alot of people with racism and television as the invasion of iraq and wmds that didn't exist prove. Please sign a petition to keep the KFI and FOXNEWS crowd off crack so they don't blow it for the rest of OC with brains.

they don't blow it for the rest of OC with brains.


I guess that leaves you out. So why do you even care?

Viva la migra!!!

In receiving more votes than the Democrap candidate and keeping Campbell from achieving a victory, Gilchrist won a stunning victory. The voice of the American people who want this Mexican vermin kept out and kicked out of our country is finally being heard.

Whether or not Gilchrist wins in December, he has sent a powerful message to the corrupt, disloyal, treasonous GOP elite that we're not going to tolerate its treason any more. Even if Gilchrist splits the vote and gets a Democrap elected in December, it's still a victory. The traitorous GOP has got to be taught a lesson and to be sent a message.

Mexicans already have their own country... IT'S CALLED MEXICO. If they're such wonderful people, let them stay there and make it into something as we Americans made something of our country. If they can't even run their own country, we don't need those parasitical vermin here, sucking off us and dragging us down to their pathetic third world level.

They sure would like to, but the CIA keeps killing their progressive leaders. And then the police chief who let it happen, to cover it up.
Oh, don't mind me, that was a snide remark.
Have a hankey- clang-.