RUNNER PULLS AHEAD IN 36TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer

Lancaster Mayor George Runner took the early lead Tuesday night in the 36th Assembly District race, a contest that proved a geographical tug-of-war between the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys.

Top spender Runner was well ahead of his closest rival, Santa Clarita Councilman George Pederson, in the early returns. They were trailed by Billy Pricer, a former trustee of the Antelope Valley Union High School District, and Barbara Hogan, a Littlerock water board member.

``Well it looks good,'' Runner said of the early returns. ``We have a long way to go. We hope the absentees reflect the rest of the vote.''

The victor in the Republican primary will face Democrat David Cochran in the Nov. 5 general election. Cochran ran unopposed in Tuesday's primary.

The winner in November will replace Republican Assemblyman W.J. ``Pete'' Knight, who was neck-in-neck with former Assemblyman Phil Wyman in a run for the nomination for the 17th Senate District.

With results trickling in across a sprawling district that crosses Los Angeles, Kern and San Bernardino counties, the race was too close to call.

Wyman sought a return to the state Senate, where he served two years representing the 16th Senate District after winning a special election in 1993. Wyman was narrowly defeated in his re-election bid in 1995.

Wyman faced Knight, a former Palmdale mayor, and Victorville City Manager James Cox in the race for the district generally covering the same region as Knight's Assembly district.

The winner in that contest will face Democrat Steven Figueroa, a Victorville tax preparer in November.

Knight, a former Air Force test pilot, has drawn attention in recent weeks to bills he authored attempting to block California's recognition of same-sex marriages and to standardize the process for obtaining permits to carry a concealed weapon.

Runner was the top campaign fund-raiser and ran the more sophisticated campaign. His campaign also hit the Santa Clarita Valley in the final days with a series of mailers critical of Pederson.

``If I win, I win with class,'' Pederson said earlier in the day. ``If I lose, I lose with class.

Runner appeared a front-runner from the beginning, popular in the Antelope Valley where two-third's of the district's registered voters live.

Yet Pederson, a retired Los Angeles County sheriff's captain, had the advantage of being the only candidate from the Santa Clarita Valley, where he won a series of endorsements. His hope early on was that Hogan, Runner and Pricer might split the Antelope Valley vote.