Political insiders have tossed another name into the potential race for embattled Republican State Sen. Jeff Denham’s 12th District seat: soon-to-be-termed-out Assemblyman John Laird. The recall campaign against Denham turned in signatures on Feb. 8 to qualify the recall measure for a vote. Though Laird’s camp says the well-respected assemblyman has yet to decide what he’ll do next when he’s termed out in November, sources say Laird is the most viable, and available, Democrat. “Few could compete against him and his reputation,” a source says.

In order to run, Laird, who lives in Santa Cruz, would have to make the short move to the 12th district region, which encompasses parts of northern Monterey Bay and stretches east.

There are other Democrats on the short list.

Perhaps most vocal has been Monterey County Supervisor Simon Salinas, a former state assemblyman. Most political insiders were shocked, and some angered, when Salinas opted out of the November 2006 election, which ultimately pitted unknown, long-shot Democrat Wiley Nickel against incumbent Denham. On that November Election Night, even Salinas seemed disappointed his name wasn’t on the ballot. “This is a bittersweet night for me,” he said as he watched Denham pull comfortably ahead of his opponent.

Former Central Coast Assemblyman Fred Keeley has also been mentioned. Keeley is currently Santa Cruz County’s tax collector. “I’ve been approached,” Keeley says, “but I have no plans to run at the moment.” In 2004, Keeley sent the rumor mill into overdrive when he filed papers to keep his campaign fund alive. At the time, many speculated that he would run against Denham in 2006. “It was never on my radar,” Keeley says. Instead, it was a move to ensure he’d have a place to keep campaign funds that he could then pass on to other candidates.

Also on the list: Assemblywoman Anna Caballero. The Salinas Democrat couldn’t be reached for comment by press time, but many say the freshman representative could become a viable contender in a state senate race.

For now, at least, Denham still has a job in the state house. But with the recent filing of 67,098 signatures in support of the recall—more than twice the 31,084 signatures needed—it seems almost certain that Denham’s name will end up on a June or November ballot.

Gary Robbins began the recall campaign last August after Denham and 13 other state senators voted against last year’s budget, stalling millions of dollars in payments to nonprofits, state and county agencies, and schools.

“Jeff Denham has taken a reverse path from what he was elected to do,” Robbins says. “His voting against budgets is bogus. He said it was fat and needed to be trimmed. But previous budgets he voted for had been much, much worse.”

Robbins refers to a scathing August 2007 editorial written by California Department of Finance Director Mike Genest, wherein Genest compared the stalemated 2007 budget with the previous year’s budget. In it, Genest concluded that the 2007 budget Denham was voting against made much more economic sense than the 2006 budget Denham supported.

Tim Clark is Denham’s spokesman and political strategist. He says Genest’s analysis was nothing short of political drivel. “The budget wasn’t balanced,” he says. “Jeff was right to oppose it. And that’s why we look forward to this recall debate. We have the high ground here, and we know it.”

Analysts, though, suggest that constituents have short memories, and that voters in the upcoming recall election won’t give a damn about last year’s budget but will instead concentrate on what Denham has or hasn’t done for them since he took office in 2002.

“Denham was elected as a moderate, and he’s taken a path…of simply trying to please Orange County Republicans and big businesses that line his campaign pockets,” Robbins says.

“But when it came time to help his constituents, he’s nowhere to be found,” Robbins adds, referring to a recent bill pitched by State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata that would have eased the foreclosure crisis for California homeowners. The bill failed by one vote, and Denham, who represents one of the hardest-hit areas nationwide, was one of the “nays.”

Robbins says Denham has become ineffective in Sacramento, and his bills are largely ignored. “They don’t offer to accomplish anything meaningful,” Robbins says.

Three of Denham’s 18 proposed bills for 2007 became law. One extends an already existing law, another changes testing requirements for prospective veterinarians, and the third allows Californians to bet on the Dubai Cup horse race. A recent bill that would have given families of fallen soldiers a special license plate was ignored, and expired without a hearing. Critics say the bill was silly because it didn’t need an act of the legislature and could instead been handled administratively.

Clark says Denham’s seeming inactivity is simply a result of dirty recall campaign tactics driven by Denham’s contentious relationship with Perata. “This campaign is Perata versus Denham, 100 percent,” Clark says. “And until this festering recall is done away with, the Senate cannot be unified and cannot work together. That’s Don Perata’s life story; he’s always been a divisive, spiteful figure.”

Perata’s name, though, won’t be on the ballot; Denham’s will. Clark says Denham’s camp will go into “full campaign mode” to raise the $2 million to $3 million necessary to fight the recall.

“Jeff’s fine,” Clark says. “He realizes we’re going forward with this recall election, and he’s gearing up to do it. Jeff Denham’s a guy who will go to the mat for what he believes in.”

“Bring it on,” Robbins counters. “Let’s go. Let’s get to the truth: that [Denham] isn’t a viable representative for this district.”