Democrat Fran Florez conceded victory to Hanford Republican Danny Gilmore Tuesday, bringing to a close the drawn-out contest for the 30th state Assembly district seat that includes all of Kings County and parts of Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties.

Gilmore, a retired California Highway Patrol assistant chief, ended up with a 1,317-vote margin of victory over Florez districtwide after the counties finished processing thousands of absentee and provisional ballots.

Gilmore won the seat despite facing a Democratic registration advantage and an opponent with significantly more money to spend.

"I think everyone associated with the race is glad that it's over," Gilmore said Tuesday in a phone interview. "I'm truly humbled. I'm humbled to have won this race."

" ... I wish Danny Gilmore the best on turning around California's finances and ask him to work with my supporters, who made up nearly half of the voters of this great district and who strongly believed in my agenda for change and renewal," Florez said in her concession statement.

She could not be reached for further comment Tuesday.

"The (written) statement is the statement," said Florez campaign manager Bob Sanders. He declined to take any questions.

For Florez, currently finishing up a term as mayor pro tem of Shafter, it was a first stab at statewide office.

Dean Florez, her son, represents Kings County as a Democrat in the state Senate. He is currently the majority leader.

Gilmore first ran for the 30th Assembly seat against incumbent Democrat Nicole Parra in 2006, losing narrowly but gaining what he said were valuable contacts that helped him in this race.

Parra termed out of office this year.

"The 2006 race helped me to go out and make relationships. It is a huge district, and it is very time-consuming," Gilmore said.

Gilmore noted that he did better this time in Fresno, Kern and Kings counties. He attributed it to existing on-the-ground contacts and extensive time spent "in every little town in the district."

Gilmore may also have been helped when Parra -- in an unusual move -- crossed party lines in September and endorsed him.

Many think the decision was motivated by a long-standing feud between the Parra and Florez families in Kern County.

Gilmore noted that when he faced Parra in 2006, she had the endorsement of the Kings County Farm Bureau and the California Highway Patrol. Both organizations sided with him this time around.

Experts noted the significance of Parra's endorsement in the contest.

But they suggested that Florez faced other obstacles.

"I think that perhaps Fran Florez was her own worst enemy in this race," said Don Larson, retired history instructor at Fresno City College and a frequent commentator on local politics.

Larson suggested that voters may have seen electing Florez -- which would have meant a mother and a son representing Kings County in Sacramento -- as a "touch of nepotism."

Others raised the issue of Florez' campaign ads.

Several of her early mailers and TV spots referenced jobs she said were going to "Communist China," jobs she vowed to keep in the 30th district.

"Talking about 'Communist China' is not necessarily the way to get anybody's vote," said David Provost, professor emeritus of political science at California State University, Fresno.

Provost also thinks Florez wasn't helped by an 11th-hour TV commercial in which Dean Florez asked people to vote for Fran Florez.

In the commercial, Dean Florez never identified himself as Fran Florez' son, Provost said.

In the same ad, Dean Florez asserted that Fran Florez, as a Democrat, would be better able to work with President-elect Barack Obama.

Provost called that claim "incredible."

"The president doesn't even know where the 30th Assembly district is," Provost said.

Gilmore will be sworn in on Monday. He has identified his top three priorities as water storage, vocational education and gang/meth issues.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432.

(Nov. 26, 2008)