Don Running Shoes : 4 Politicians See County as a Springboard

Four Republican politicians who represent portions of Orange County did not practice politics as usual this past weekend at the state GOP convention here.

Rep. William Dannemeyer of Fullerton unveiled a stuffed, feathered turkey named “Rosie” as the mascot of his California Birdwatchers Society, one of three statewide groups seeking to oust Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird from the California Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Rep. Dan Lungren of Long Beach sneaked fortune cookies onto convention banquet tables. The “fortunes” inside the cookies advised delegates: “There’s a Lungren in your future.”

Free Lapel Pins

State Sen. William Campbell of Hacienda Heights distributed free American and California flag lapel pins to delegates at a cheese-and-chili reception.

Supervisor Bruce Nestande shook hands with delegates, attended a forum about the future of the Republican Party and met privately with members of Gov. George Deukmejian’s Administration.

Dannemeyer, Lungren and Campbell were all seeking support for the 1986 Republican U.S. Senate nomination. Nestande is “exploring” the possibility of running for lieutenant governor.

If the past is any guide, all four face uphill struggles.

No Orange County Democrat has attained statewide office except former Assemblyman Ken Cory of Westminster, who is now state controller.

No Orange County Republican has attained statewide office except Thomas Kuchel, a one-time Anaheim-based state legislator who served as state controller and then U.S. senator 25 years ago. (Orange County-born Richard Nixon served as a U.S. senator and eventually President, but only after holding a Los Angeles County congressional seat.)

So what gives Nestande and Dannemeyer, among others, the idea that Orange County can be a launching pad for statewide office?

They say that Orange County has come of age and, as the second largest county in the state, should be producing statewide leaders.

They also argue that Orange County now has the vote strength and financial ability with which local politicians can seed statewide campaigns.

Media Problem

But they also cite enormous hurdles, including the way Orange County is dominated by electronic media based in Los Angeles.

“It’s a Catch-22,” Lungren said. “You need money to buy air time and direct mail, so that you can become better known and show up well with name recognition in the statewide polls. But you need to show up well in the polls in order to raise the money.”

The emphasis during the weekend convention here was on organizing, not fund-raising, the candidates said.

Lungren, a congressman since 1979, said the convention “is a time for showing my face among the party faithful. Of course, if you see people with known fund-raising abilities, you try to talk to them.”

Lungren was one of many Senate hopefuls who served food and drinks in a hospitality suite. Dozens of copies of favorable newspaper clippings were stacked with other campaign literature, sun visors, poll results and refrigerator door magnets--all with his name on them.

‘Not too Flashy’

“You have to try to do something that’s not too flashy,” Lungren said. “ . . . I don’t have that kind of money . . . . I don’t want to be held to a high, flashy standard. It would just make me look that much more ridiculous if it turns out this race just isn’t in the cards for me.”

Meanwhile, Dannemeyer, who also is in his fourth term in Congress, trotted out his feathered turkey and played a 30-second anti-Rose Bird radio commercial for reporters. Bird and four other justices are up for statewide voter confirmation in November, 1986, and four of them are under attack from various groups for purported softness on crime.

In his hospitality suite, Dannemeyer posed for pictures with delegates while holding the Olympic torch he carried during last year’s Games.

Dannemeyer, a devout Lutheran, also led the convention’s official Sunday morning prayer breakfast.

In a sermon-like speech, he told about 300 delegates attending the breakfast that there is a battle raging in society between people who believe in the “Judeo-Christian ethic” and those who advocate a non-religious society based on “secular humanism.”

He argued strongly for laws that would ban abortion, permit prayer in public schools and end federal deficits.

A Religious Factor

“How did decreasing deficits get in there, you might ask?” Dannemeyer said. “It may be that a point is reached where the deficits become theft, which is prohibited by the Seventh Commandment.”

Meanwhile, Campbell told delegates individually that he was running for the U.S. Senate and described how difficult it would be if he, Dannemeyer and Lungren all competed for campaign contributions from Orange County business officials.

Nestande had no hospitality suite or reception and relied solely on face-to-face contact with delegates.

“You don’t want to closet yourself up,” Nestande said.

“You have some scheduled meetings, but it’s mainly mingling--with follow-up phone calls to people if you come away with the impression that they might help.”

Nestande said Orange County’s wealth is not the only reason for believing that it can be a launching pad for statewide campaigns.

“It’s more because Orange County has a large number of Republican voters and this can make a big difference in primary and general elections,” he pointed out.

Nestande cited Gov. Deukmejian’s 270,000-vote margin over Democrat Tom Bradley in Orange County in the 1982 election.

‘Lot of Vote Clout’

“That’s an awful lot of vote clout,” Nestande said.

Ken Reitz, a Los Angeles-based political consultant who is managing economist Arthur Laffer’s U.S. Senate bid, said the county can produce successful statewide candidates.

“Pete Wilson proved that you don’t have to be from Los Angeles or San Francisco to win statewide office,” Reitz said, referring to the former San Diego mayor who defeated former Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. in the 1982 U.S. Senate election. “I don’t see why a candidate can’t launch a very successful effort from Orange County.”

There are difficulties, however, Reitz added, “because the county has no home-based television market. The task is how to create a favorable image in Los Angeles.”

Reitz said Nestande “would have to be considered a viable statewide candidate.”

Dannemeyer has attempted to solve the problem of Los Angeles-based media. He purchased television commercials from Los Angeles stations last November and now has radio spots.

Presented as Spokesman

However, these commercials feature Dannemeyer as a spokesman for political causes other than his U.S. Senate campaign.

Not all political experts are convinced that Orange County can produce successful statewide candidates.

Campaign consultant Al Hoffenblum of Los Angeles said, “In California, name identification is everything. Orange County is not a viable launching pad unless you’re already well-known.”

And Dannemeyer said Hoffenblum “may be right.”

But he added, “We’re going to go out there and find out.”