With Congressman-elect Steve Knight expected to step down from his state Senate in the next week, former state Sen. Sharon Runner announced she’s taking steps toward another campaign run.

Knight has yet to make a formal announcement — so the race has yet to be called — but with November’s election sending him from Sacramento to Washington, a vacancy and special election are expected for the 21st state Senate seat Knight holds.

“It looks like I’m 99.9 percent in,” Runner said Tuesday, adding she was still in talks with community leaders in the area who have also mentioned the possibility of running.

Been there, done that: Sharon Runner takes the oath of office in 2011 after her husband George (left) was elected to the Board of Equalization.

Her name recognition would be a valuable tool for a special election, when turnout is generally lower, Knight said Tuesday. Officials estimate turnout to be less than 20 percent for the ballot, if past trends continue.

“Name ID is huge when youre going to have a low turnout,” Knight said. Her name recognition and experience in the seat makes her a “frontrunner,” he added.

Runner thanked various Santa Clarita and Antelope valley officials for supporting her potential run for the spot, including Knight, recently elected Assemblyman Tom Lackey from the Antelope Valley, and for Assemblyman Cameron Smyth.

“I’m truly touched and humbled by the encouragement I’ve received to run for state senate,” Runner said. “In particular, I’d like to thank Congressman-elect Steve Knight for his support and endorsement. As the current officeholder and our good friend, his encouragement is particularly meaningful.”

He’s expected to be sworn in January as the replacement for Congressman Buck McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, for his 25th Congressional District seat.

Runner said she was responding to a “massive outpouring of support and encouragement from community leaders and district residents.”

Runner was elected to the state Senate 17th District seat in 2010, but chose not to seek re-election after limited scleroderma, or CREST syndrome — an autoimmune condition affecting the body’s connective tissue — left her in need of a lung transplant.

She received a lung transplant in spring 2012, and has made a full recovery, spending her Runner is married to former state Sen. George Runner, who currently holds a seat on the Board of Equalization.

Since recovering, she’s worked throughout the state conducting community outreach through her position with the state Senate Republican caucus.

She’s organized and been involved with community health fairs in disadvantaged Central Valley communities, as well as educational programs to encourage vocational learning, she said Tuesday.

Assemblyman Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, said Runner was the first person he thought of for the seat after Knight’s election.

In addition to being close friends with the Runner family, he praised her efforts to reach out to him and other local officials when there was issues affecting the area’s community colleges. Wilk was on the Santa Clarita Community College District Governing Board while Runner was serving in the Legislature.

State election law mandates that a special election be held for legislative vacancies. The date is set by the governor within certain calendar requirements.

Should Knight step down early next week as expected, the date of the special election will likely be sometime in March, with a runoff, if necessary, likely in May.

“Over the next few weeks, prior to the call of the election, I’ll be reaching out to other potential candidates and community leaders throughout the district to discuss the pressing challenges facing California,” Sharon Runner said. “What’s truly important is that we send someone to Sacramento as quickly as possible to combat the job-killing over-regulation, over-taxation and the dangerous situation created by early release of felons by Prop 47 and realignment.”

Runner served in the state Senate from 2011-12 after three terms in the state Assembly.

From 2004-08, then-Sen. George Runner and then-Assemblywoman Sharon Runner were the first husband and wife in California history to serve concurrently in the state Legislature.

Several other candidates have announced their intent to keep an eye of the situation, including the mayors of Palmdale and Lancaster,

A few of the other names being mentioned in discussion of the race for the 21st include: Santa Clarita City Councilman Dante Acosta, Tim Donnelly, Johnathon Ervin, Sandra Johnson, John Kunak, Star Moffatt, Evan Thomas and Lou Vince.

The 21st Senate District includes the San Bernardino County communities of Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia and Victorville and the Los Angeles County communities of Lancaster, Palmdale, unincorporated Antelope Valley and the Lakes Communities along with portions of the Santa Clarita Valley.