Zschau Beats Naylor in Charisma Round of GOP Senate Bout

Bob Naylor, a California Republican who would like to become a U.S. senator next year, telephoned a reporter recently, seeking a second shot at a question the reporter had asked him the day before.

“Hey, I was thinking about that question in the shower, about why I would make a better U.S. senator than Ed Zschau,” said Naylor, a state assemblyman from Menlo Park. Zschau (a German name pronounced like “shout” but without the “t”) is a congressman from Los Altos and is also seeking the Republican Senate nomination in 1986.

“What I should have said to you the first time,” Naylor continued, “is that I really think a more conservative person like me--when it comes to national security issues and pushing the Reagan agenda--would make a better senator. I don’t think Ed reflects that.”

Near-Identical Stands

Naylor more conservative than Zschau? Their stands are identical on almost every issue, ranging from capital punishment (both are for it) to abortion (both are against amending the Constitution to outlaw abortion). Each would support a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget, one of many positions that separate them from the Democrat they would like to beat, Sen. Alan Cranston of Los Angeles.

On issues, the major differences between Zschau and Naylor are three: Zschau voted against the MX missile and aid to the guerrillas fighting the Nicaraguan government, calling both proposals “not cost-effective.” Naylor said he would have voted for both had he been in the House because they were important to President Reagan.

Finally, Zschau would ban new off-shore oil drilling in California, while Naylor would allow some new drilling.

But what really separates Naylor and Zschau--and even Naylor acknowledges it--is a quality called “charisma” by some people and “sex appeal” by others. Zschau has it, insist these people--some of whom were once leaning toward Naylor. They contend that this quality, plus the big money Zschau is raising, will not only eclipse Naylor but could make the little-known Zschau a major contender in next June’s Republican Senate primary.

Exhibited in Subtle Ways

They say this charisma is exhibited in subtle ways, and that it has a history. For example, Zschau likes to stand beside the lectern when he speaks, rather than behind it. This encourages informality. Zschau remembers names and “makes you feel like you are the most important person in the room when he answers your question,” said Mark Bloomfield, who first met Zschau in the 1970s when Zschau, then a private citizen, was helping persuade Congress to halve the capital gains tax.

Bloomfield, who helps venture capitalists lobby Congress, said that in those days Zschau’s combination of naivete and sincerity won over suspicious Capitol Hill Democrats who were used to dealing with more hard-bitten business lobbyists. Today, after three years as a member of Congress, Zschau continues to cultivate the air of a nonpolitician who has an insatiable curiosity.

Naylor comes across as very earnest. He likes to stress his political experience. He said: “Yeah, I’ve heard that Ed has more charisma than I do, but I think it is more an appeal to the corporate type than to the average voter.”

The Naylor-Zschau struggle is dominating many Republican political discussions, particularly in their Northern California base, as contributors and activists look for a candidate to back.

Naylor, 41, jumped into the Senate race early this year and was the only Northern Californian in a field crowded with hopefuls from Southern California. He has raised more than $400,000, much of it from agriculture interests.

$1-Million War Chest

Zschau, 45, the former president of a firm that makes computer disks, entered the race last month, bringing with him a $1-million war chest that was raised almost entirely in the California high tech community. His advisers are now planning to raise money in two other states that have substantial computer-related industry, Massachusetts and North Carolina.

Both Zschau and Naylor have their work cut out for them in the Republican Senate primary. Neither is well known in Southern California, which has 70% of the primary vote. But interviews with Republicans around the state indicate that both men appeal to the fiscally conservative but socially moderate young people who have been joining the California Republican Party in record numbers recently.

The impact of these voters on next June’s Senate primary is uncertain, but its potential has all of the Senate candidates taking a close look.

“I think you’ll find that most of the young people we are registering these days are social moderates and fiscal conservatives,” said Cathy Ferrar, president of the California Young Republicans. She added that she would not discount either Naylor or Zschau at this point in the race.

At a recent forum in San Francisco, Jeffrey Swanson, a young marketing expert, watched Zschau and Naylor perform and said, “Bob has paid his dues in the Republican Party. But Ed gets to the point faster. He’s able to talk in quick bites that people can absorb. He’s got sex appeal. You’ll find that Ed is very popular with a lot of well-to-do housewives around the Bay Area, the kind of people who will put in long hours--for free--in a campaign.”

‘Doesn’t Inspire Me’

Gail Slocum Jones, a young Los Angeles lawyer, has also studied both men and said: “Bob is a good politician, but he doesn’t inspire me--and I worked in one of his Assembly campaigns. Ed has charisma. He makes you want to go out and work for him. Also, he’s been a businessman. He’s made a contribution other than politics.”

The Northern California Lincoln Club, many of whose members are older and more influential than Swanson and Jones, recently came to the same conclusion about Naylor and Zschau.

“Bob Naylor is just an excellent man; I’ve supported him throughout his career,” said Frank Leach, chairman of the Lincoln Club, which helps raise money and round up volunteers for candidates. “But we endorsed Ed Zschau after what I think was a very long and thoughtful screening process. You have to look at who can raise the money and at who would be the best candidate against Alan Cranston.”

Naylor was one of four finalists in the Lincoln Club endorsement process. Leach said that Zschau’s ability “to inspire people” was one of his strongest selling points.

At a recent candidate forum in San Francisco, sponsored by the moderate California Republican League, Naylor looked out in the audience and saw many people who have supported him in his eight-year political career. But what he heard was loud, sustained applause every time Zschau answered a question.