FROMMER SUCCESSOR RACE EYED DEMOCRATIC HOPEFULS TESTING WATER BEFORE ANY DIVES IN.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

GLENDALE - With primaries still more than a year away, prospective Democratic candidates for the 43rd Assembly District race already have begun ramping up efforts to determine where they stand.

No one yet has formally declared candidacy, but a poll released Wednesday showed that among three potential candidates, former Assemblyman Scott Wildman and Burbank school board member Paul Krekorian garnered the most support, followed by Glendale City Councilman Frank Quintero.

The telephone survey of 400 registered voters was done by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research and commissioned by Krekorian, an attorney who has said he's weighing a run for the seat being vacated by Dario Frommer because of term limits.

Both Krekorian and Wildman have established campaign committees and are able to start raising money for a race.

``We're still more than a year away from an election for the Assembly, and ultimately the only poll that counts is the one on election day, but I'm certainly honored to be able to have the level of support that the poll shows,'' said Krekorian, 45.

The February poll found voter support at 19 percent for Wildman, 17 percent for Krekorian and 9 percent for Quintero.

Pollsters said that when respondents were provided positive statements about each candidate, Wildman got the support of 31 percent, Krekorian got 29 percent, and Quintero garnered 16 percent.

Pollsters said the results had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Wildman, who said Wednesday that he plans to run for the seat, noted that it's too early to tell what the poll means.

``I'm pleased, but I think there's a long campaign ahead of us. I'm running with a record of four years of service in the Assembly, so hopefully we'll see the poll numbers change and my lead grow,'' said Wildman, 54, who represented the district from 1996 to 2000, before an unsuccessful bid for the Senate.

The 43rd Assembly District includes Glendale, Burbank, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, East Hollywood, Eagle Rock and Toluca Lake.

Allan Hoffenblum, publisher of California Target Book, a nonpartisan report that analyzes political campaigns and races, said initial poll results generally reflect recognition of potential candidates' names.

Those polled would likely recognize Wildman's name, while Krekorian could be recognized from a previous unsuccessful bid for the seat, Hoffenblum said.

Hoffenblum noted, however, that because the election is more than a year away, Quintero, 59, could still be in contention. Quintero did not return phone calls Wednesday.

Such early polls typically generally are used to help in fundraising, targeting those who have contributed in the past, interest groups and active Democrats, Hoffenblum said.

``The potential candidates are dealing now with the politically active part of the community. They're out there to gain endorsements and to raise money to have apparatus needed to put together a competitive race,'' he said.

``Right now, they are proving that there are others willing to share their ambitions to get elected to the seat,'' Hoffenblum said.

Naush Boghossian, [phone]

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com