Baugh Challenged Even Before Being Sworn In : Politics: Primary foe Cecilia Age says there’s much ‘to be exposed’ regarding assemblyman who replaced Doris Allen.

HUNTINGTON BEACH —  Newly elected Assemblyman Scott Baugh had all of Tuesday night to celebrate. By Wednesday morning, the jockeying had already begun for the seat he wrested from Assemblywoman Doris Allen in Tuesday’s recall election.

Even before Baugh (R-Huntington Beach) was sworn in Wednesday to complete Allen’s term, Cypress Councilwoman Cecilia L. Age was issuing a challenge for the March primary in which Baugh faces two competitors from his own party seeking to take the 67th District seat from him.

“There’s a lot to be exposed about Baugh,” Age, a Republican and Allen supporter who also survived a recall attempt this fall, said on election night. “I’m ready to put my money up against him. I think the primary will show something very different.”

But while Age and former Newport Beach Republican Assemblyman Gil Ferguson continued to rail against the “ruthless county GOP machine,” most local Republicans hailed the overwhelming recall of Allen and Baugh’s easy victory as a hallmark of extraordinary party unity.

“The party has achieved in this special election a wonderful rallying opportunity and has made the most of it,” said Thomas A. Fuentes, chairman of the county Republican Party. “We really find ourselves more united today than we have been in quite some time. All elements of the party were present in that victory and participated in that victory.”

Final totals released by the Orange County registrar of voters Wednesday show that 65.2% of voters favored the Allen recall. Baugh handily defeated his closest rival in the replacement race, Democrat Linda Moulton-Patterson, capturing 45.1% of the vote to her 31.6%, the figures show.

As additional evidence of Republican unity, Fuentes pointed to the list of candidates who met Wednesday’s deadline for filing declarations of intent to run for state Senate and Assembly offices next year. The filing of the declaration of intent is the first of two steps for candidates. By Dec. 29, all candidates for state office must turn in nominating petitions.

With a couple of notable exceptions, few Republican incumbents are expecting serious challenges, Fuentes said.

One Republican, Richard Ackerman (R-Fullerton), has no challenger at all. And in Baugh’s northwestern Orange County district, no Democrats declared an intention to run.

The Democratic candidate with the best chance of winning could be Lou Correa of Anaheim, who hopes to regain for his party the 69th Assembly District seat now held by freshman Jim Morrissey (R-Santa Ana). The heavily Latino district, most of which is in Santa Ana, is the one part of the county where the GOP does not have its opponents vastly outnumbered.

Democrat Robert D. Wilberg of Dana Point, who may run against Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside) in South County’s 73rd District, said he filed in order to test the waters in regard to his candidacy.

“I’d like to run. It all depends on how much money I can raise,” said Wilberg, a union activist and county employee.

As the bitterness over the Allen recall pointed out, however, the lack of a Democratic opponent may not mean smooth sailing for every GOP candidate.

There most certainly will be two slugfests. Baugh faces a primary test from Age and Barbara A. Coe of Huntington Beach, one of the leaders of the statewide Proposition 187 movement.

In the 35th Senate District, Ferguson has indicated he wants a rematch of the bitter primary of last spring against Ross Johnson (R-Irvine). Allen has pledged to aid Ferguson in his battle against Johnson and the cadre of Republicans who helped force her from office Tuesday.

The ultraconservative, wealthy, heavily Republican district is where the whole Allen issue began last March.

When former state Sen. Marian Bergeson decided to step down to run for county supervisor, she opened the door to what became a civil war in the Republican Party between Allen, Ferguson and Johnson that has not really ever ended, despite Johnson’s substantial victory.

One other wide-open race should occur. In the 71st Assembly District, Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange) is vacating his seat because of term limits and will run for county supervisor. Six Republicans and two Democrats have expressed interest in the seat. Because the incumbent is not running, Wednesday’s filing deadline has been extended until 5 p.m. Monday.