Lawyer Is Political Neophyte : Bob Hope’s Son to Join GOP Race for Fiedler’s Seat

Tony Hope, son of entertainer Bob Hope, is expected to announce his candidacy today for the Republican nomination for the San Fernando Valley’s 21st Congressional District.

A political neophyte, Hope recently moved from Washington, D.C., where he was a partner at Touche Ross & Co., a Big Eight accounting firm, to Northridge after deciding to run for the seat, said Milan Radovich, his spokesman.

Hope is entering a race that is showing signs of becoming a Republican free-for-all. The 45-year-old attorney is one of a handful of Republicans jockeying to fill the void being created because the incumbent, Bobbi Fiedler, is running for U.S. Senate.

Although no Republican has filed for the seat, Assemblyman Tom McClintock of Thousand Oaks and Elton Gallegly, mayor of Simi Valley, have been actively pursuing the nomination. In addition, former Republican Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr. has said there is a good possibility that he will run.

Hope, a conservative, has never been an elected official but Radovich said he is familiar with how federal government works.

At Touche Ross, Hope was in charge of solving the government-related problems of the firm’s 20,000 corporate clients in its 86 domestic and 318 foreign offices. His expertise, Radovich said, includes international finance, tax treaties, government contracting and health care.

Hope has twice served on presidential commissions. President Reagan appointed Hope to serve on the Grace Commission, which was formed to find waste and fraud in the federal government, and former President Gerald R. Ford appointed him to the Overseas Investment Corp.

Married with two teen-age children, Hope graduated with honors from Georgetown University and Harvard University School of Law.

Radovich said Hope anticipates that most of his financial support will come from the 21st District, where he had lived for more than 20 years. He said Hope’s supporters include his parents, who will each contribute the maximum allowable under federal law--$1,000.

“He feels it’s time to come back and work for the community,” Radovich said.

Hope, who was out of town and could not be reached for comment, will hold a press conference to announce his candidacy this morning, Radovich said.