The names are in

Alicia Robinson and S.J. Cahn

Some of the candidates who will face Newport Beach and Costa Mesa

voters in the March 2 primary will have familiar names.

The business community is well represented among those vying to

represent the 68th Assembly district, which includes Costa Mesa.

Candidates include self-described businessmen Larry D. Allison, a

Libertarian; Al Snook, a Democrat; and Van Tran, a Garden Grove city

councilman and a Republican. Also running is Republican Mark Leyes,

who did not designate a profession when he filed but is also on the

Garden Grove City Council.

Wednesday was the deadline to file declarations of intent with the

Orange County Registrar of Voters.

In the 70th Assembly district, the primary will be a battle royal,

with six Republicans, one Democrat and one Libertarian trying to get

on the November ballot. The Republican candidates are Cristi

Cristich; businessman and Army Major Chuck DeVore; Chonchol D. Gupta;

engineer and businessman Long K. Pham, South Orange Community College

District Trustee Donald P. Wagner; and Marianne Zippi. Libertarian

and voice systems specialist Mark Baldwin and Democrat Carl L. Mariz

are also seeking the seat.

Voters may recognize 35th Senate district candidates John Campbell

and Ken Maddox, Republicans who now hold the 70th and 68th Assembly

district seats, respectively. Others seeking the senate seat are

independent businessman Timothy Johnson, a Libertarian; legal

secretary Rita Siebert, a Democrat; and retired U.S. Marine Col. Joe

Snyder, a Republican.

More than a few have been campaigning hard. Expect the election to

hit another gear now that the fields are firmly in place.

Some time off from the political game

For those not fortunate enough to be on the e-mail list, here’s a

little piece of news: The Republican National Committee is routinely,

and daily, skewering the possible presidential competition.

E-mails since just Halloween have shown that “undecided” still

leads the Democratic race, even though “he” hasn’t spent any money;

that senators have skipped votes while campaigning; and that one

candidate seems to be going back and forth on his thinking about

Iraq.

In all, there have been nine such e-mails beating down those who’d

take on President Bush next fall.

But the Republicans aren’t always busy tossing words reporters’

ways.

After Tuesday’s slightly informal Democratic debate, the committee

shot out an official “Democrat Debate Fact Check.” Expecting a long

list of mistakes and misstatements?

Don’t count on it.

“Another Day, Another Debate, Another Desperate Round Of Angry

Attacks At America Rocks The Vote Debate In Boston, Mass.,” the

e-mail proclaimed.

But then it only went on to announce: “After watching eight of the

nine Democrat presidential candidates at the debate in Boston do

precisely what they have been doing for months (launch angry attacks,

complain, mischaracterize, exaggerate, mislead, and generally offer

nothing but pitiful pessimism, protest, and political hate speech),

we felt the only appropriate response was to let them speak for

themselves and go grab a pizza.”

The e-mail, which arrived at 6:15 p.m., came complete with one of

those “Will Return” signs that get hung on business doors. Its hands

were pointed to 9 a.m.

That next e-mail from the committee, targeting House Minority

Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, arrived at 9:22 a.m. Wednesday

morning.