Laine, a candidate for the 68th Assembly District in central Orange County, cites Assemblyman Lou Correa (D-Anaheim), who beat a two-term Republican incumbent in the neighboring 69th District in 1998.

     There's also state Sen. Joe Dunn (D-Santa Ana), who engineered a Democratic upset in 1998. But perhaps best known is Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a Garden Grove Democrat whose hard-fought victory over conservative stalwart Robert K. Dornan four years ago seemed to presage a change in the county's political winds.

     Laine, 43, a businesswoman and attorney from Garden Grove, says those victories point to a favorable--and, she believes, growing--Democratic trend in the local electorate. But, please, don't use the L-word.

     I am a conservative Democrat, said Laine, who is challenging Assemblyman Ken Maddox (R-Garden Grove), 36, for the district that also includes Anaheim, Buena Park, Stanton and Westminster. A liberal cannot get elected in Orange County.

     Like their counterparts across the nation, Laine and other Orange County Assembly candidates of both major parties are striking a moderate chord, toning down ideological messages that have distinguished Democrats from Republicans.

     I am a reasonable Republican, said Lynn Daucher, a Brea councilwoman seeking to replace Dick Ackerman (R-Fullerton) in the 72nd Assembly District, which includes Brea, Fullerton, La Habra, Placentia and Yorba Linda.

     Daucher is opposed by Democrat Gangadharappa Nanjundappa, 59, a sociology professor from Yorba Linda.

     Daucher, 53, a homemaker and former teacher, was accused of being a tax-and-spend liberal by fellow Republican contender Bruce Matthias, who lost to her in the March primary.

     People care about street lights, traffic, code enforcement, parking permits, education, Daucher said by way of explaining the need to work across party lines for the good of constituents. The reality is, Republicans are outnumbered at the moment [in the state Legislature], so we are not in the position to implement policy always through our eyes.

     Also on the ballot are GOP incumbents Bill Campbell (R-Villa Park) in the 71st District (Orange, Coto de Caza, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest) and Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) in the 73rd District (Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano).

     Correa, a 42-year-old former investment banker who became the lone Orange County Democrat in the Assembly when he bested incumbent Jim Morrissey, is seeking his second term in the 69th Assembly District, which includes parts of Santa Ana, Anaheim, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley and Orange.

     His Republican opponent is 55-year-old retired police officer Lou Lopez. But Democrats hold the registration lead in the north-central district, outnumbering Republicans 53.6% to 30.5%. Countywide, Republicans outnumber Democrats 3 to 2.

     That would appear to tip the scales for Republican candidates in the 67th, 70th and in Daucher's 72nd district race, where incumbents couldn't run because of term limits. In the March primaries, except for Correa, Democratic candidates trailed first-place Republicans 30.1% on average.

     In the 67th District--which includes Cypress, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Rossmoor and Seal Beach--Republican Tom Harman, a 58-year-old Huntington Beach city councilman and attorney, faces Democrat Andy Hilbert, 34, an engineering business manager from La Palma.

     In the 70th District, now represented by Marilyn Brewer (R-Newport Beach), GOP candidate John Campbell, a 44-year-old car dealer from Irvine, faces Democrat Merritt Lori McKeon, a 42-year-old family law attorney from Laguna Beach. The sprawling district includes Costa Mesa, Irvine, Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, plus parts of Tustin, Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills.

     But analysts say changing demographics in northern Orange County could give Laine the best chance among Democratic challengers.

     It's a numbers game, said Fred Smoller, associate professor of political science at Chapman University. If there is a sweeping Gore victory at the top of the ticket, helping draw Democratic voters, it would help Laine. Otherwise, the edge is still in favor of Maddox.

     Maddox had a strong showing in the primaries, with 57.8% of the votes against Laine's 31.1%. Both candidates were unchallenged in their respective parties. But the district is 39.4% registered Democrat and 41.1% Republican, the slimmest margin the Republicans hold in the six districts they dominate.

     Maddox said he isn't worried.

     Laine is not the kind of Democrat that Democrats in our district will vote for, he said. She opposed Proposition 22 [which has banned state recognition of same-sex marriages]. That does not bode well for this socially conservative, blue-collar district.

     I am a social conservative, she said, explaining that she opposed Proposition 22 not because she favors same-sex marriages but because she does not condone discrimination against any groups, including gays.

     The type of voter here is a moderate voter, she said. Democrat or Republican, they will vote for the candidate, not the party.

     Correa, the Democratic incumbent, also shuns ideological labels.

     Republicans have tried to pin the liberal label on Democrats to try and define us, he said. But we've captured the Senate, the Assembly and the governorship, not because we are liberals but because we deliver on the bread-and-butter issues.

     The blurring of party lines and focus on practical matters is a national trend, political experts say.

     This election is not about ideology, it is about competence, said Jack Pitney, who teaches government at Claremont McKenna College. In part, it is because we are living in a time of prosperity. It is a small-change agenda.

     Which at times makes it hard to tell the two parties apart.

     I'm for smaller government, said Hilbert, the Democratic candidate for the 67th District. But small government cannot be small-minded government. I believe government needs to have a long-term view and not spend money according to short-term special interests.

     Republican Daucher, in the 72nd District, calls for more efficient government.

     I believe in personal responsibility and small government, and watching our dollars, she said. Government has a role, but we need to have priorities.

     All this is music to third-party candidates' ears.

     Able to campaign inexpensively over the Internet, alternative-party candidates have swelled in ranks over the years. They are also attracting voters on both ends of the spectrum who feel they have been abandoned by the major parties, the analysts say.

     There is really no difference between the Democrats and Republicans, said Libertarian candidate Autumn Browne, a Huntington Beach junior high school drama teacher running against Harman and Hilbert in the 67th. The Libertarian Party platform advocates privatizing beaches and schools, and tighter control of the nation's borders, among other things.