Both Sides Air Harshly Critical Ads : Gallegy-Hope War of Words Spreads to Radio

The war of words being waged between the two leading Republican candidates in the 21st Congressional District race escalated this week when each of the two leading candidates began airing radio ads derogatory to the other.

With the June 3 primary less than three weeks away, Tony Hope, an attorney and son of entertainer Bob Hope, and Simi Valley Mayor Elton Gallegly chose in their radio spots to attack the other’s most vulnerable attributes.

The third candidate, Tom La Porte, began a more modest radio campaign this week on a positive note. The Thousand Oaks stockbroker criticized his opponents’ verbal assaults.

“Negative kinds of commercials went out six years ago,” La Porte said, citing President Reagan’s upbeat political ads in his 1980 campaign.

The target of Gallegly’s ad, which began airing Thursday on seven local radio stations, is Hope’s voting record when he was a resident of the District of Columbia. Hope, who lived in the district about 10 years before returning to the San Fernando Valley several months ago, apparently never registered to vote in Washington.

Hope said he cast a California absentee ballot for President Gerald R. Ford in 1976 but that, when he registered before the presidential elections in 1980 and 1984, his name failed to appear on the rolls.

Gallegly’s ad never mentions the mayor’s name, although it has the standard disclaimer at the end saying it was paid for by his campaign committee. The ad concludes: “. . . Tony Hope didn’t fulfill the basic requirements of good citizenship. He didn’t vote. He didn’t even register. Now Tony Hope wants our vote. That’s wrong.”

Ben Key, Gallegly’s political consultant, said the ad concentrates on Hope’s voting record because a recent private poll suggests that it could be a deciding factor in the June 3 balloting.

Hope’s ad, which begins today, berates Gallegly for receiving nearly half his campaign contributions from land developers. Quoting stories in The Times and the Simi Valley Enterprise, the ad says Gallegly accepted contributions from a number of developers shortly before or after he voted to approve their construction projects. In the background, a cash register is ringing.

“The Simi Valley mayor has demonstrated extremely poor judgment in accepting such questionable campaign contributions,” the ad charges.

Gallegly has said the contributions did not represent a conflict of interest and only reflect the efforts he has made, as mayor, to increase the city’s economic base.

Hope began airing two other radio ads this week that focus on his qualifications. The spots mention his work on Reagan’s Grace Commission, his other Washington experience and his endorsements from Ford, former Defense Secretary Melvin Laird, the California Republican League and other groups.

Key said the poll done for Gallegly indicates that 50% to 60% of the district’s Republicans have not decided on a candidate.

La Porte, considered a dark-horse candidate, began running his radio spot on a Simi Valley radio station this week. His ad mentions the 10 years he has spent giving Ventura County radio listeners free daily financial advice and asks for contributions and volunteers for his campaign. La Porte said that, if he raises more money, he will buy more radio time to detail his legislative plans.