EWBURY PARK, Calif. — Ferial Masry may own the most unusual biography of any candidate seeking office in California this year.
Born in Saudi Arabia, Mrs. Masry is running for a seat in the California Assembly as a Democrat in a heavily Republican district after she qualified for a spot on the November ballot as a write-in candidate.
She opposes the war in Iraq in a district that heavily favors it. Her son, Omar, is an Army sergeant serving in Iraq, and her husband is a Navy engineer serving stateside.
If elected, Mrs. Masry would become the first Saudi native to hold elected office in the United States, according to the Arab American Institute, a group that promotes political involvement by Arab-Americans.
Voters in this suburban Los Angeles district that includes almost half the population of Ventura County are taking a newfound interest in an assembly seat whose district lines favor Republican candidates. The race has also drawn international attention.
"I'm the hottest thing in Saudi Arabia," Mrs. Masry, 55, said in a recent interview. "All the newspapers have my pictures."
One Saudi reporter, Mrs. Masry said, called in the middle of the night to ask her definition of democracy. (Her answer: "Responsibility.") "They were fascinated by how I could run and how people could accept me," she said.
Mrs. Masry left Saudi Arabia at age 9 with two siblings to attend boarding school in Egypt. Her parents wanted her to be the first girl in the family to get a formal education. She received a degree in journalism from the University of Cairo, then lived in Britain and Nigeria before moving to the United States in 1979. She now teaches history and government at Cleveland High School in Los Angeles.
"Coming here, it was like at last I can find my freedom," she said. "I can speak my mind."
She is not shy about doing just that, even when her views apparently conflict with those of a majority of the district's voters. "The Middle East doesn't need war," she declared.
Mrs. Masry speaks with pride of her son, whose unit, the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion, is working to rebuild and reopen institutions like hospitals and schools. "I want him to represent what America is all about," she said.
Her son maintains a Web site in Baghdad (omarmasry.net/1.htm) that includes a Web log that provides a running commentary on the war. In an e-mail message, Omar Masry described how one Iraqi wanted his mother to move back to the Middle East and run for office in Iraq.
As much as Mrs. Masry is a novelty in the Persian Gulf, she is also an exception in this country.
"There has been virtually no immigration to speak of from Saudi Arabia," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, which plans to contribute to Mrs. Masry's campaign. Most of the Saudis in the United States live in Southern California, Mr. Zogby said.
The roster of Arab-Americans in politics includes Ralph Nader, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Representative Darrell Issa, Republican of California. Mrs. Masry is a Muslim, which would make her one of only a handful of Muslim elected officials nationwide.
Mrs. Masry became the only Democrat in the race after another candidate became ill and dropped out. She secured a rare write-in victory, garnering about 3,700 votes to surpass the 1,200 needed to make it on the general election ballot. "It was a miracle," Mrs. Masry said.
Mrs. Masry's longshot campaign received some help from Michael S. Dukakis, who is in Southern California as a visiting professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Mr. Dukakis, the 1988 Democratic candidate for president, spoke on Mrs. Masry's behalf at a fund-raiser earlier this year at which she raised $7,000. She said she hoped to raise $50,000 more in the next several months.
She faces tough opposition. During the primary alone, Mrs. Masry's opponent in the 37th Assembly District, Audra Strickland, spent about $550,000. Mrs. Strickland is the wife of the incumbent, Tony Strickland, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits.
Allan Hoffenblum, a Republican strategist, said the district was considered to be a safe Republican seat for the foreseeable future. "Dianne Feinstein could run in this district and it wouldn't matter," Mr. Hoffenblum said, referring to the state's most popular Democrat. "This is an overwhelmingly Republican district."
Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by 46 percent to 34 percent in the district, but two Republican candidates for governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger and State Senator Tom McClintock, received a combined 77 percent of the vote in the recall election last fall.
Mrs. Masry said Mr. Schwarzenegger had cut too many social programs and relied too heavily on borrowing to solve the state's budget problems. "He doesn't have complete programs or complete solutions," she said.
Asked whether she supported a constitutional amendment that would make it possible for immigrants like her or Mr. Schwarzenegger to run for president, Mrs. Masry sounded as if she were teaching her high school civics class.
"We should not touch the Constitution," she said. "It is only five pages and 7,000 words. It's beautiful as it is."
