Ramani looks to make history

“That’s something to watch in terms of how it might affect turnout one way or another,” said Mark Baldassare, president and chief executive of the Public Policy Institute of California.

Ramani is hoping that his campaign will transcend partisan politics and defy voter registration statistics, he said.

He has cast himself as an “independent thinker” who has supported Democrats in the past, including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), Krekorian and past Assemblyman Dario Frommer, and has long been an active member of community groups, arguing that party affiliation shouldn’t be the deciding factor in voters’ decisions.

That may be wishful thinking, since voter decisions are largely made based on ballot designations and party affiliations, with little knowledge of candidates’ backgrounds, experts say.

Conservatives have argued, however, that they are capitalizing on anger toward Washington and Sacramento to push for a change in state leadership.

At an evening gathering Saturday at a Glendale home, Republican candidate John Colbert, who is challenging Schiff, argued that his background as a government outsider and a conservative would be the right fit for the region.

Attendees at the gathering seemed to agree.

“We need more Republicans in the system,” said Shirley Griffin, who hosted the event.

If Ramani can pull off an unlikely victory, it will be another step toward diverse representation for California, said Tracy Westen, chief executive of the Center for Governmental Studies.

But even then, voters will want more than simply a new ethnic makeup of the Legislature, Dutta said.

“When people actually get elected, people are looking at results in what you do,” he said. “Look at President Obama. He certainly achieved a historic win, but now people don’t view him a as an African American president. They’re looking for results.”