Ed Davis Off and Flying in 1986 Senate Race

State Sen. Ed Davis got up at 6 o’clock Monday morning, put on his favorite navy blue suit and took one more look at his latest voter survey. Then he drove to a Van Nuys Airport hangar and became the first California Republican to formally jump into the 1986 U.S. Senate race.

Davis flew around the state in a small jet and told groups of reporters, “I have wanted to be a U.S. senator for a long time. The Senate has always appealed to me as a great way to serve your country, second only to the presidency.”

Talking generally about wanting to grapple with economic issues and foreign policy, Davis blasted the man he would like to beat, Democratic Sen. Alan Cranston, as a “cynical liberal.”

Dwells on Polls

Although Davis has some definite ideas about what he would do in the U.S. Senate--he says he would not vote to raise taxes or weaken defense--political polls were his favorite topic Monday.

“Chief Davis”--as he is known to the many people who remember him from his days as head of the Los Angeles Police Department--talked about an opinion poll taken in January by a New York firm. That poll, Davis said, convinced him that it was time to advance his political career.

In the second sentence of his announcement speech, the Valencia Republican said, “I did surveys in both February of 1984 and again in January of 1985 . . . and those surveys led me to the inescapable conclusion that I can be the successful Republican nominee for United States Senate in 1986.”

The polls dominated Davis’ remarks at each hangar (he visited airports in San Diego, San Francisco and Fresno), and it was the main topic of discussion on his jet, where he was joined by his wife, Bobbie.

He makes no apologies for how much the voter surveys dominate his actions, especially his decision to run for the U.S. Senate.

“Polling is the best way to efficiently utilize your efforts,” Davis said when asked why he was dwelling on his latest poll rather than talking at length about his desire to be a U.S. senator.

Davis said his poll found that 65% of the 1,010 Californians surveyed--Republicans and Democrats--knew who he was. He said that was better than the numbers for another possible Republican candidate, Rep. Bobbi Fiedler of Northridge.

Davis and Fiedler share many of the same constituents in the western San Fernando Valley and part of Ventura County, and both have appealed to grass-roots groups--Davis because he was a policeman and Fiedler because she once led Bustop, an anti-busing group.

Davis indicated that he thought Fiedler would be a tough opponent in the primary, but said, “I’m hoping Bobbi will take her own survey and realize it would be best not to take me on.” Davis said his latest poll kept him from making a big mistake--hanging back for fear that actor Charlton Heston would give in to the pleas of some Republicans, enter the race and be seen as unbeatable.

Ronald Reagan Miracle

“Because some of my friends felt . . . (they could) in effect redo the Ronald Reagan miracle and said this time we’re going to get Charlton Heston . . . that almost made me hesitate,” Davis said, explaining that the friends he was referring to were prominent Republican contributors.

“I didn’t have him (Heston) in my 1984 survey. I put him in my 1985 survey and to my great and pleasant surprise, I found that in the L.A. media market, I beat Charlton Heston by three points and that statewide we came out within seven-tenths of a point of one another. The rest of the (potential) Republican field started at less than half the support given me.”

Davis refused to name the prominent contributors who were interested in a Heston candidacy but said that he hoped his early announcement would persuade those contributors to back him.

Heston, who would have to change his status from independent to Republican if he ran, has said he is not interested.

Cranston, Davis said, “has been in the Senate too long.” Davis said California’s senior senator is “out of touch” with voters and has prolonged his career by helping big businessmen get tax breaks.

“Alan Cranston has probably seduced more businessmen than Errol Flynn has women,” Davis said.

Davis, who reminded reporters of his now legendary remark that skyjackers should be hanged at the airport, also said he thought the public was fed up with politicians who don’t know anything about fighting crime. He charged that when the Senate took up legislation last year to toughen penalties in federal cases, Cranston was absent for the vote.

Davis, who was Los Angeles police chief from 1969 to 1978, finished second in the Republican gubernatorial primary in 1978 after announcing his candidacy only five months before the vote.

Homosexual Issue

He was elected to the state Senate in 1980 and recently was reelected with 74% of the vote, despite angering some supporters with his vote last year for a bill that would prohibit employers from discriminating against homosexuals.

Davis said in an interview he would vote the same way again because to him it was a “matter of civil rights” and he added that his reputation as a “tough cop” allowed him to take more moderate stands without damaging his image.

Asked Monday what he would do if the 70-year-old Cranston, who runs in track meets, challenged him to a foot race, Davis, who is 68, said, “His thing is track. My thing is boxing. I’d be happy to do a decathlon with him. We’ll box first and then we’ll see how fast he can run.”