MAKING A MARK ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL SANTA CLARITA A SURPRISING NEW STOP FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES.

Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE

Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- Mitt Romney was in Valencia in May for a private fundraiser and fellow Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani followed last week.

In between, a local woman hosted a neighborhood party for John Edwards' supporters, with the candidate taking part via conference call.

Santa Clarita, for some reason, has become a stop on the campaign trail in one of the most exciting presidential elections in decades.

Some say it's because Santa Clarita is now among the state's vote-rich, dollar-rich Republican enclaves -- though the Democrats' influence is gaining in town.

As baby boomers and others have moved from the core of Los Angeles into the suburbs, politicians have followed, said Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Santa Clarita.

"Here in our district we see an educated citizenry who are active and involved in kitchen table topics such as immigration, economy, gas prices, education and health care," said McKeon, who was the city's first mayor nearly 20 years ago. "Because of this and because of the influence the area now has, it only makes sense for our community to be on the 'campaign route' per se."

McKeon favors Romney, the Republican former governor from Massachusetts. Romney's appearance at a private $2,300-a-plate breakfast in May in Valencia's tony Westridge neighborhood netted the candidate $200,000. Romney raised $23.1 million in the first quarter.

Santa Clarita's sizable Mormon population has its eye on Romney, said Barbara Myler, who owns a public relations and marketing firm and is a spokeswoman for the local Interfaith Council.

"There was a natural curiosity because he was in the top three of the Republican candidates," Myler said.

McKeon, among the local leaders who are members of the church, hosted Romney, but the gathering attracted a mix of business and local luminaries and party faithful, Mormon or not, Myler said.

Myler, a former spokesman for the local Mormon church, said the crowd was favorably impressed.

"The overall feedback was they were more impressed than they anticipated," she said. "It's obvious by the attendance it was not a faith-based meeting."

Rookie state Assemblyman Cameron Smyth, R-Santa Clarita, was among the hosts for Thursday's event in Valencia for former New York City Mayor Giuliani, but couldn't make it because of business in Sacramento. Giuliani -- who leads the pack of Republican presidential candidates -- raised up to $100,000 from 75 to 100 people who paid $1,000 each for the cocktail reception. The candidate raised $18 million in the first quarter, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Giuliani was on a swing through Southern California that included stops in Simi Valley and Irvine.

California now plays a key role in the Republican primary since the date was bumped up to Feb. 1. Republicans have changed the formula for assigning delegates for presidential races -- in the past it was winner-take-all, now delegates are being awarded by congressional districts.

"Whoever wins the congressional seat is awarded delegates, making the California primary much more of a retail campaign," said Smyth, who also was a Santa Clarita resident before moving up the political ladder.

Smyth pegs the moderate Giuliani, the party's front-runner in California, as the Republicans' best bet for retaking the White House.

"He is the only candidate who will put California into play in November '08 and that's important," Smyth said. "We're fighting to retain state seats and we can't afford to have a candidate who can't win California."

Santa Clarita is a red bastion in a blue state, but Democratic booster Carole Lutness made some headway Wednesday with a fundraiser for former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina. Thirty participants raised $900 for Edwards, who is tied statewide for second place in the presidential race with Illinois Sen. Barak Obama.

Edwards was Sen. John Kerry's running mate in the 2004 presidential election.

Four hundred house parties akin to Lutness's were linked into Edwards' call and the local folks were a little disappointed they didn't get to pose a question about the North America Free Trade Agreement and the related Central America agreement.

"Our question related to his position on NAFTA and CAFTA -- which have devastated our national economy by allowing our corporations to move offshore in pursuit of cheap labor and minimal regulations on their businesses," Lutness said. "NAFTA is the primary reason our community is having so much trouble with the Cemex issue."

The agreements regulate trade across borders, easing a plan by Mexico-based Cemex to establish and operate a 56.1-million-ton aggregate mine in Canyon Country. NAFTA, foes claim, prohibits governments from barring corporations from unfair employee practices or environmental degradation within the hosting nation.

Lutness said many local Democrats are concerned about the shrinking economy, employment and environmental problems NAFTA has caused.

Local Democrats are impressed with Edwards' positions on health care and ending the war in Iraq. The Edwards campaign raised roughly $14 million in the first quarter.

Total campaign contributions for the second quarter, which ended Saturday, should be available soon.

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(ran in SAC and AV editions only) Rudy Giuliani, who leads the Republican presidential candidates in fundraising, earned up to $100,000 for a cocktail reception in Santa Clarita. Giuliani raised $18 million in the first quarter, according to Federal Election Commission records.