Marilyn Brewer's uphill bid for a vacant seat in Congress fell short Oct. 4.
The matriarch of the plastics processing Brewer clan received 15,287 votes, or 17.1 percent, of the total in an open primary election in the 48th Congressional District of California, placing second among 19 candidates, but also second among Republicans on the ballot.
State Sen. John Campbell, the winning Republican, received 40,746 votes, or 45.7 percent, and is viewed as a favorite in the Dec. 6 general election.
Brewer co-founded C. Brewer Co. in 1965 and worked in accounting and administration for almost two decades. The injection molder and mold maker has plants in Irvine and Anaheim, Calif., where it is based.
Brewer, who is from Newport Beach, was vying for the seat vacated Aug. 2 by Christopher Cox, who became chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.