Barbara Alby is in for sure

Steven Greenhut: I just heard that former Assemblywoman Barbara Alby definitely is running for the Senate against Ted Gaines and Roger Niello to represent the seat east of Sacramento. The debate between Gaines and Niello has been dull so far. Gaines is posturing as a conservative and is blasting Niello for his support for tax increases. Niello says, essentially, that he is an honest tax hiker who won’t sign the “no new taxes” pledge whereas Gaines actually voted for taxes too. So the choice is between the Phony Tax Cutter and the Proud Tax Raiser. What a choice. Neither of them get it on basic freedom issues. Alby might be a spoiler for Gaines, who at least pretends to be a conservative rather than the liberal Niello, then again voters are angry enough that they might just support someone perceived as a longshot. Alby, unfortunately, is something of a social conservative rather than a libertarian, but she would get the budget stuff right.