The state Senate's 19th District is one of the most hotly contested races in California politics, and with just three weeks until Election Day, the outcome is difficult to predict.

Republican Tony Strickland and Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson are looking to fill the seat being left open by Tom McClintock (RThousandOaks), who will be termed out in December after 22 years.

The 19th District stretches from Port Hueneme and Camarillo to Moorpark, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and the northwestern end of the San Fernando Valley.

Jackson, a 58-year-old Santa Barbara resident, is an attorney and former prosecutor. She served in the state Assembly and represented the 35th district from 1998 to 2004. Last year she battled breast cancer and sent the disease into remission.

Strickland, 38, served three terms representing the 37th District in the state Assembly. The Moorpark resident's wife, Audra Strickland, now holds that seat.

On opposite sides of the fence

Because the candidates take opposite views on almost every issue—a reflection of the current national mood—the contest is being closely watched by the state's political machinery.

Hannah-Beth Jackson Conservative Strickland is prolife and supports the Prop. 8 amendment that would prohibit same-sex marriage, while Jackson is prochoice and opposes the ban on gay marriage.

Jackson advocates an increase in funding for schools as an answer to the state's housing and employment problems. She believes a better educated population invariably leads to a stronger economy. Strickland says state education funds are adequate and just need to be administered better.

Strickland opposes new taxes, and alludes to Jackson as "Taxin' Jackson" because of her fiscal views.

Politics from the past

The campaign has been a volatile one with each candidate digging up past controversies in an attempt to discredit the other.

Last week, Jackson released a letter that Strickland wrote to Bill Lockyer in 2003 demanding that the California Attorney General halt efforts to enforce the state's global warming law. She also attacked Strickland's contention that humancaused climate change is a fallacy. The Jackson campaign says global warming is one of Strickland's "biggest flip-flops."

Tony Strickland Just days later the Strickland camp attacked Jackson for saying she was never part of a supposed "secret meeting" by Democrats during state budget negotiations. Reports from July 2003 say a live microphone caught a conversation among 11 Democrats who reportedly discussed holding up the state budget for political gain.

The major issues

Despite the differences between them, Jackson and Strickland agree on what they believe is the most pressing issue facing the 19th Senate District: the economy.

"With things going the way they are, with the collapse of the stock market, the credit banking industry, we clearly need to figure out how we're going to regroup," Jackson said. "What we want to do is focus on creating quality jobs, creating an alternative energy and green economy. With Southern California's 300 days of sunshine, we should be creating energy that comes from the sun and wind."

Strickland agrees.

"If we don't have a strong, robust economy, which we don't have currently, we don't have the money for the things we all want to invest in, like infrastructure, healthcare and education," he said.

Strickland said an investment in renewable energy could help the state's troubled economy, and he wants to expedite the permitting process and offer tax incentives to businesses who manufacture in California.

"I think we can be the leader in the world of renewable energy, like California is for the entertainment industry," Strickland said.

The better man—or woman

Strickland said voters can be certain he's the better candidate based on the decisions he's made in the past.

"I have a proven track record of working on these issues," Strickland said. "When you look at the of Chamber of Commerce endorsements . . . it's because they know I have the wherewithal to grow the local economy."

Strickland said he has a 100 percent voting record with the Chambers and criticized Jackson's scant association with independent business associations. The Camarillo Chamber of Commerce endorsed Strickland—the first time in the Chamber's 68-year history that it's endorsed a Senate candidate

Jackson said her ability to reach across the aisle is critical.

"I think it's fairly clear that I have a track record of being able to bring people together and work in a bipartisan fashion," Jackson said. "I've been able to deal with issues that are directly affeacting our community, like pesticide drift, the water problems in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks. "I've been focused on protecting our families and not big corporations, and I think that's the stark difference between myself and my opponent," Jackson said.