Zschau Presses Bid to Gain Southland Votes

Although his strategy for the final week of the Republican U.S. Senate race calls for a heavy focus on his Northern California base, Rep. Ed Zschau of Los Altos continues to try to make inroads in the more conservative South.

Convinced that some of former commentator Bruce Herschensohn’s supporters are worried that Herschensohn may be too conservative to defeat Democratic Sen. Alan Cranston in November, Zschau moved to try to exploit that Wednesday morning at a meeting with the Saddleback Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Political Action Committee, some of whose members said they are big Herschensohn fans.

Beginning with a harsh assessment of the Soviet Union, one of Herschensohn’s favorite targets, Zschau said, “The Soviet leadership system weeds out people with any humanity.”

The only thing the Soviets understand is strength, Zschau said, as members of the group nodded approvingly.

Then came the contrast with Herschensohn:

“But we also have to have communication (with the Soviets),” Zschau said. “You can have negotiations but you must do it from strength.”

Herschensohn is unyielding on this issue. He would sign no arms agreement with the Soviets if the United States had to give up anything, a stance that he acknowledges rules out any arms agreement between the two countries.

The Orange County group tested Zschau on several issues where his votes in Congress have led to accusations by some of his Senate race rivals that he is too liberal to represent California Republicans in the Senate.

“Why do you oppose the MX missile?” one woman asked Zschau.

“I oppose the MX because it would be based in vulnerable Minuteman silos,” Zschau replied. “I don’t believe the MX adds to deterrence. But I do support other elements of the modernization of our nuclear arsenal, including the Trident submarine, the B-1 bomber, the Midgetman missile and the sea-launched cruise missile.”

What about his stand on the sanctions against South Africa, a U.S. ally, asked one man in the group.

Again, Zschau tried to assure the audience that he is conservative--he supported weaker sanctions against South Africa than those ultimately approved by President Reagan--but he again contrasted himself with Herschensohn by saying:

“I think it is absolutely essential that this country go on record against policies of other countries we abhor.”

Herschensohn maintains that the United States should never publicly criticize its allies, even if their policies are repressive, but should instead attempt to change them through quiet diplomacy.

‘Much Tougher Decision’

After the Laguna Hills breakfast, local attorney Rich Neuland commented: “I had heard that Zschau was on the liberal end of the party, but that’s not the way he came across here. He seems to have a reasoned approach. It’s going to make it a much tougher decision next Tuesday.”

Ed Geiger, who is in the real estate business in Mission Viejo, said: “I have been a big fan of Bruce Herschensohn’s for so long from watching him on television. But I’m afraid if he runs against Alan Cranston he’s going to be thought of as too conservative. Bruce wants to kick the U.N. out of the U.S. I agree. But you can’t say something like that and get elected.”

Like Neuland, Geiger continued to ponder the decision he will have to make next Tuesday in the primary.

While Zschau was wooing the Southland vote, his manager, Ron Smith, was expanding the campaign’s effort in the San Francisco Bay area.

“Our polling is showing that San Francisco is now the battleground,” Smith said. “That’s where the biggest undecided bloc remains.”

Peripheral Canal Issue

Another source in the Zschau campaign, requesting anonymity, said that the Zschau polling had found that the Peripheral Canal is still a hot issue in Northern California, and since Zschau has always been opposed to the idea of diverting water southward through a canal in the Sacramento Delta, the campaign quickly moved to capitalize on that issue in its Northern TV ads.

Another key element of Zschau’s closing strategy went into effect this week when the campaign sent very slick brochures promoting Zschau as the “senator for California’s future” to 1 million Republican voters statewide.

Smith said most of these brochures went to voters under the age of 45 who fit the Zschau profile of fiscal conservative and social moderate.

Also, the Zschau campaign has begun to air statewide a television ad stressing that some polls have found that Zschau would be the toughest opponent for Cranston in November. The ads show Zschau’s picture moving across the screen and hitting Cranston’s picture and knocking it off the screen. It then points out to the viewer that because of this factor, Zschau has now been endorsed by, among others, Holmes Tuttle, a member of Reagan’s “kitchen cabinet.”

Elsewhere Wednesday, Herschensohn picked up his fourth Republican endorsement in as many days adding anti-tax crusader Howard Jarvis to a list that includes Republican Reps. Robert K. Dornan of Garden Grove, David Dreier of Covina and Daniel E. Lungren of Long Beach.

Critical of Antonovich

Jarvis said he decided to back Herschensohn because he is an old friend and because the other candidate bidding loudest for conservative support, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, has disappointed him. Jarvis faulted Antonovich for being part of a governing body that has allowed county spending to increase “over 100%” since 1978 when Proposition 13, the statewide tax limitation measure, was passed.

Antonovich took office in 1980.

Jarvis originally endorsed economist Arthur Laffer for the Senate nomination. He said Wednesday that Laffer released him from that endorsement when it became clear that he would not be a serious contender in the race.

Antonovich, meanwhile, disclosed that he has lent his own campaign $100,000 to pay for extra advertising in the closing days. This followed the announcement earlier in the week that Zschau opened up a $300,000 line of credit for his campaign, secured by his personal assets.