Democrats Hold Faint Hopes Against Lewis in 67th Assembly District

Republican Assemblyman John R. Lewis of Orange might be tempted to gloat about his political situation were it not for a lingering recollection of his first campaign six years ago.

“As one who originally won an election that I wasn’t supposed to win, I don’t take any election for granted,” said the wealthy dog-food heir who is seeking his fourth term in the Legislature.

Lewis first won the seat in a razor-thin victory over favored Beverly Nestande, the former wife of Orange County Supervisor Bruce Nestande, in 1980.

Now, even Lewis’ likely Democratic opponent concedes that his chances of winning are virtually nil in the north Orange County district, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 42,000.

“Two years ago, I polled 23% of the vote,” said Orange businessman Ray Anderson, 39, who is making his second race against Lewis. “This time my goal is to get 27%.”

Democratic strategists said Anderson’s assessment of his chances is more realistic than pessimistic. More important than ousting Lewis, they said, is for Anderson to win the June 3 Democratic primary, where he faces Lyndon LaRouche follower Marion Hundley, 59, of Yorba Linda.

The Democratic Party has not officially endorsed Anderson, but county Democratic Chairman Bruce Sumner--who is running his own write-in campaign against another LaRouche follower in the 40th Congressional District--said the party organization has “come as close as possible” without overstepping the bounds of legality.

Hundley does not deny he is a follower of LaRouche, the controversial Leesburg, Va., writer who is said to have backed several thousand candidates around the country, including two upset victors in statewide primaries in Illinois last March.

But he said he and LaRouche only stand for restoring America’s greatness and “the American system of economics.” Democrats would not find the philosophy so objectionable “if Americans were informed of their own history,” Hundley said.

Both Hundley and Anderson are running shoestring campaigns, anticipating overall expenditures of less than $500.

Meanwhile, Lewis had a campaign war chest of $49,794 as of mid-May, according to financial disclosure documents filed with elections authorities last week.

Lewis, credited with having “the shrewdest political mind in the Legislature” by Assembly GOP Leader Pat Nolan of Glendale, so far has spent more time campaigning for other Republican candidates around the state than he has for his own reelection in the 67th Assembly District.

Big GOP Advantage

The district, where Republicans have a 58.2% to 31.7% edge over Democrats among registered voters, includes all of Yorba Linda and Villa Park, and parts of Santa Ana, Orange and Tustin.

When Lewis defeated Beverly Nestande in a hard-fought Republican primary campaign in 1980, he used his own funds to mount a well-financed campaign and outpoll his opponent 41.6% to 35.2%.

Lewis, whose friendship with Nolan and Assemblyman Dennis Brown (R-Signal Hill) predates their years together at the University of Southern California, had some Sacramento backing in that 1980 race. But the local and state GOP establishment had lined up behind Nestande.

Since then, Lewis has had no Republican opponents and has defeated Democratic challengers by margins ranging from 41,000 to 62,000 votes. He has gained more of a reputation in Sacramento as a political strategist than as a legislator--a role with which Lewis is comfortable.

Caucus Chairman

Indeed, Nolan picked Lewis to be the Republican Caucus elections chairman shortly after he became party leader in 1984.

Lewis, who rarely introduces bills or speaks on the Assembly floor or at committee hearings, said he serves his conservative constituents by voting “to keep the lid on state government, being tough on crime and working real well with (Gov. George) Deukmejian.”

While Lewis has authored only 20 bills during the past two years, he said the Democratic-controlled Legislature would never pass the kind of conservative legislation he espouses, anyway.

“After being in the Legislature about a year or so, I very soon came to the conclusion that my basic philosophy was going to be stymied at every turn, simply because of the numbers in the Legislature,” he said.

“It makes sense for some of us, at least, to spend a little time trying to change the landscape here,” Lewis added. “If you continue to get your face kicked in, you get frustrated very quickly.”