Running for No. 2 Spot With No. 1 as the Goal

It's no secret that state Sen. Tom McClintock and California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi believe their rightful title should be governor.

But they would be content to have it cluttered with "lieutenant" for at least the next four years.

Garamendi, a Sacramento-area Democrat, and McClintock, a Republican from Thousand Oaks, are running for lieutenant governor on the Nov. 7 ballot, in what might be the statewide election's closest race.

The position is often mocked for its limited clout but valued as a potential springboard to California's top job.

Ideological and stylistic opposites, with a mutual loner streak, McClintock and Garamendi have waged unsuccessful campaigns for governor in the past and haven't let defeat quell their hunger.

The road-worn Sacramento veterans insist they aren't scheming that far ahead.

But supporters say the candidates are convinced that winning the No. 2 post would give them another shot -- perhaps their last, best shot -- at the bigger prize.

"It puts Tom in training if he's going to be governor in 2010," said Shawn Steel, former Republican Party state chairman.

"There's no doubt John wants to be the governor," said Democratic strategist Darry Sragow.

Polls showed that the 61-year-old Garamendi emerged from a bruising June primary -- he held off state Sen. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) -- with an edge over McClintock, who faced token opposition for the Republican nomination.

Garamendi's perceived advantages included a Democratic tilt in California's voter registration and the headlines that he earned in his rate-curbing battles with the insurance industry.

True to form, the rancher and former UC Berkeley football player also benefited from his well-preserved, athletic good looks, an easy and empathetic touch on the stump -- toothy grins for everyone -- and a list of legislative accomplishments that date to his years as an assemblyman and state Senate majority leader.

More early comfort came from the fact that Garamendi's positions in support of abortion rights, tougher gun control and broader environmental protections are in sync with the sentiments of the voting majority in California.

By contrast, McClintock occupies the minority ground on those passion-stirring issues and has a relatively thin record as a lawmaker.