And analysts predicted after Friday's candidate-filing deadline that none of the five will face serious competition in November.

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, is the only Inland member of Congress who drew primary opposition. The March 5 contest will be an exact replay of the March 2000 primary, when Calvert ran against Riverside Republicans Martin Collen, a physician, and Khalid Jafri, a retired electrical engineer.

Although Republican and independent voters in the Inland area can expect four feisty GOP primary contests for the state Legislature, and possibly one or two for Democrats, that is largely because the state has term limits.

Four Inland seats in Sacramento have come open, three of them because of term limits. But the U. S. House of Representatives and Senate do not have term limits. Redistricting and the high costs of campaigns have discouraged competition.

"You have to be an aristocrat to run" for Congress, said retired business owner John Kavanaugh of Twin Peaks.

Kavanaugh said he wanted to run against Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, to hold him accountable for the country's defense preparedness before the Sept. 11 terror attacks. But Kavanaugh said he couldn't afford the filing fees and related costs.

Steve Schmidt, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, attributed the lack of competition to party unity.

Competitive seats scarcer

Political analysts said this year's redistricting deflated interest in many of California's congressional and state legislative contests. Republican seats became more Republican, and Democratic seats became more Democratic, including those in the Inland Empire.

Competitive seats are scarcer, said Jack Pitney, a Claremont McKenna government professor.

"District lines have largely locked the status quo into effect," Pitney said. "Overall, California will see a lot less competition in this decade than in the last."

But party activists cling to hopes the experts are wrong.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee hopes Democratic flight attendant Elle Kurpiewski of Rancho Mirage can mount a strong challenge against Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs.

Kurpiewski said the Sept. 11 attacks and Congress' refusal to provide assistance to laid-off aviation workers in the airline bailout bill pushed her to run.

"I think she provides an interesting perspective on a lot of the homeland security debate," said Mark Nevins, spokesman for the Democratic committee.

Interesting story to tell

Nevins called Kurpiewski a strong candidate because her profile could match the district and she has an interesting story to tell. Asked about whether House Democrats would help fund Kurpiewski against a well-funded Bono, Nevins declined to comment.

"We don't discuss our strategy in terms of decisions on funding and how much," he said.

Here's how the U. S. House races are shaping up:

In the 41st District, Lewis in November will face Democratic challenger Keith Johnson, an alternative-energy company executive from Crestline. Also running is Libertarian Kevin Craig, a paralegal from Desert Hot Springs.

In the 43rd, Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto, in November will face registered nurse Wendy Neighbor, a Republican.

In the 44th, Calvert will face Jafri and Collen in March. Democrat Louis Vandenberg of Riverside and Green Party candidate Phill Courtney, a Perris high school teacher who lives in Riverside, will run in the fall.

In the 45th, Bono will face Kurpiewski in November. Libertarian Rod Miller-Boyer, a personnel manager from Sun City, will run in the fall.

In the 49th, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, in November will face Libertarian Karl Dietrich, a mechanical engineer from Oceanside.

The most competitive state legislative races on March 5 include:

The 36th Senate District, being vacated by Riverside Republican Ray Haynes. A GOP primary battle will feature Assembly members Dennis Hollingsworth of Murrieta and Charlene Zettel of Poway.

Rod Pacheco retiring

The 64th Assembly District, where Riverside Republican Rod Pacheco is retiring. Riverside accountant Ray Horspool, Lou Monville of Riverside and John Benoit of Palm Desert will face off for the Republican nomination in the GOP-leaning district.

The 63rd Assembly District, where San Bernardino Republican Bill Leonard has to give up the seat. Two city council members, Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga and Susan Peppler of Redlands, are expected to be the main contenders for the Republican nomination.

The 80th Assembly District, being vacated by Republican Dave Kelley of Idyllwild. Republicans Bonnie Garcia of Cathedral City and John Pena of La Quinta are the main contenders, along with Democrats Greg Pettis of Cathedral City and Joey Acuna of Coachella.

Reach Claire Vitucci at (202) 661-8422 or cvitucci@belo-dc.com and reach Robert T. Garrett at (916) 445-9973 or rtgarrett@pe.com