Rep. Sanchez Says She'll Run in Recall, If

Sanchez, who has urged Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein to run as a replacement candidate if Davis is recalled, said she would consider launching a campaign only if no other prominent Democrats jump in before Saturday's 5 p.m. filing deadline.

"Running myself wouldn't be my preference," she said after testifying before Orange County supervisors in support of a light-rail project. "My hope has always been to have Dianne Feinstein run. We have to honor the voters' desire to have a [replacement] candidate. I'm hoping she'll understand we're struggling to get a consensus."

But in light of Feinstein's continued reluctance, Sanchez said, "I'm becoming the draft candidate."

Running would mean bucking Democratic leaders who have called for a united front behind Davis. It would also create more immediate concerns, such as whether to refinance her house to raise quick cash for a campaign.

Under normal circumstances, Sanchez wouldn't top the list of sure-fire Democratic candidates for statewide office. But given the topsy-turvy recall climate, a Sanchez candidacy is not farfetched, said Jack Pitney, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College.

"We know she seizes opportunities and she doesn't follow the traditional conventions," Pitney said. "She'd certainly get an enormous amount of attention."

Attention is a frequent companion for the four-term congresswoman. She was hailed as a giant killer in 1996 when she pulled off an upset victory over entrenched Republican Rep. Robert K. Dornan, becoming the first Democratic congressional representative from Orange County in a dozen years. This year, she and sibling Linda Sanchez, newly elected to a Los Angeles-area district, became the first sisters to serve at the same time in the House.

Conservative activist Art Pedroza Jr. of Orange said Sanchez has a high profile, the ability to raise money and support from labor unions. But many Democrats and others "have privately agonized over the often-embarrassing antics of Sanchez," he wrote in his weekly Web-based political column, including her aborted plans in 2000 to feature then-Vice President Al Gore at a fund-raiser at Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion.