Lately, it can seem all politicians are unyielding partisans.

Of course, it’s not all of them.

Take Long Beach Councilman Gary DeLong and former Rep. Steve Kuykendall, both Republicans. One of the two is expected to make it to the November general election in the newly drawn 47th Congressional District, which extends from Long Beach to Little Saigon. Democrats hold an 11-percentage point advantage in voter registration, but some say GOP voters’ higher voting propensity and the conservative tilt of decline-to-state voters – 21 percent of the district’s electorate – give Republicans a shot.

DeLong has been particularly successful in selling the case, raising $410,000 before 2012 even started, winning recognition as one of 14 candidates nationwide tagged as a “Young Guns contender” by the well-funded National Republican Congressional Committee, and picking up the state GOP’s endorsement. Kuykendall lags in fundraising, but says he’ll be competitive in the money game and points to his considerable political experience as an advantage.

Both claim to appeal to unaffiliated voters and conservative Democrats, and both have records with bipartisan legislation. In terms of policy, both appear engaged in a balancing act of being conservative enough for the district’s Republicans but moderate enough to have across-the-aisle appeal.

June is no longer a closed primary where they need only worry about Republican voters. The top-two open primary not only means they have access to Democratic and decline-to-state voters, but carries a strategic mandate that they begin appealing to those voters in the primary. Otherwise, those voters may settle on the leading Democrat and develop an electoral attachment by November.

Lay of the land

There are four Republicans and four Democrats in the race, but DeLong and Kuykendall quickly emerged as consensus GOP frontrunners and state Sen. Alan Lowenthal was tagged as the Democratic favorite – and, according to some, the favorite to take it all. The name recognition, campaign experience and organization of the three will be difficult for any of the others to surpass.

While the top-two vote getters will advance regardless of party affiliation, Lowenthal is expected to face off against the top Republican in November.

Name recognition is mostly on the Long Beach side of the district – where 59 percent of the district voters live – because all three have represented parts of Long Beach, but none has represented a district in Orange County. When it comes to party affiliation, 53 percent of the Republicans (and 33 percent of the Democrats) live in Orange County. That means DeLong and Kuykendall face the dual challenge of reaching Republicans beyond where they’re known – and where they’re known, they need to connect with voters outside their party.

The issues

A key issue that DeLong and Kuykendall agree on is the repeal of the Democrats’ Affordable Health Care Act, which they say will cost too much. Both would like to see reforms to the free-market system – without any mandatory requirements. Kuykendall says it’s probably not possible to eliminate the mandate and still cover everyone.

DeLong thinks a non-mandatory system can be established in which all Americans would be covered. He argues that the marketplace can be made more competitive, costs can be reduced low enough to entice young people into buying insurance – yet still generate enough money to help subsidize care for the elderly – and government can increase its payments to more adequately compensate providers.

A starker distinction between the two comes on the subject of government bailout of General Motors and Chrysler. Kuykendall says, without reservation, that it was a bad move and believes that the auto companies would have recovered without government intervention.

“The government decided that the auto workers union would be a winner and the bond holders would not be a winner,” he told me.

DeLong has mixed feelings – and doesn’t take a position.

“On one hand, the government shouldn’t be helping bad businesses,” he said. “On the other, it was a good investment in the country and the economy.”

An area where both are likely to ruffle the feathers of social conservatives is illegal immigration.

DeLong would like to see everyone be able to get drivers licenses. Both support a path to work permits for those in the country illegally – and possibly to citizenship as well, although Kuykendall emphasizes that it would be available only to those who can build a humanitarian case for themselves.

Contact the writer: 714-796-6753 or mwisckol@ocregister.com