GOP Fails to Capture 100,000 Democrats : But Party Claims 98,000 Conversions, Plans to Extend Drive

The Republican Party fell short of its recent goal of converting about 100,000 registered Democrats in a 100-day, four-state pilot program, Republican National Committee Chairman Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr. acknowledged Thursday, but he declared victory in the voter conversion campaign anyway.

Democratic officials immediately challenged the GOP figures as “fudged and phony.”

Some Only ‘Pledges’

Fahrenkopf conceded that only 60,000 Democrats have officially made the change since the pilot program was initiated last May and that the others are “pledges,” whose conversions are still being processed.

And he said that expenses for the campaign exceeded the expected $500,000 by an additional $250,000.

He further admitted that the switch-over of 2,410 Democrats to the Republican Party in California--which was not among the states in the pilot program--was included in the final count.

Nonetheless, Fahrenkopf said, “Never in the history of American politics has such a program been undertaken . . . and I think its impact can be seen all across our party.” He said that the extra Republican votes could be crucial in many local elections next year.

Figures Discounted

But Terry Michael, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, said: “They’re trying to change the rules . . . . (The figures) are all fudged and phony.”

The Republicans’ original goal was to have 100,000 former Democrats signed up--not just pledged --by Aug. 15 in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Florida.

Fahrenkopf said that Louisiana’s more than 36,000 conversions exceeded the GOP target of 25,000, and North Carolina and Pennsylvania recruiters exceeded their goals of 15,000 each. But, in Florida, Republicans set a goal of 45,000--failing, he said to take into account the difficulty of door-to-door campaigns in the heat of summer--and fell short by 17,000 voters. The total, not counting California, was 98,039.

He said that the overall success of the pilot program has persuaded party officials to expand the recruitment to 22 other states, including California.

California Drive Opens

A spokesman for state Assemblyman Pat Nolan (R-Glendale) said Thursday that Republicans began heavy recruiting efforts last week in selected areas of California, including Riverside. The campaign, which is likely to include mail, telephone and door-to-door canvassing, is designed to reach 50,000 Democrats in seven weeks, although the party has not set a statewide target for conversions.

The spokesman, who asked not to be identified, added: “I think you’ll find that there are hundreds of thousands of Democrats who have been voting for Republican candidates.”

Fahrenkopf asserted that the voters who switch parties should not simply be counted as new Republicans, but also as Democratic losses. “For every voter, it counts twice,” he said. “They’re losing one and we’re gaining one.”