Curb, Richardson Seek Undecided Voters With Last-Week Media Blitz

Republican Mike Curb, in his drive to recapture the lieutenant governor’s office, will wind up his comparatively low-key primary campaign by spending between $250,000 and $300,000 on a last-week statewide television blitz.

His primary opponent, state Sen. H. L. Richardson of Glendora, also is depending heavily on television to try to pick up what polls show to be large numbers of undecided voters. But he clearly hasn’t been able to wage Curb’s kind of media campaign, which has been building in intensity for weeks but has been kept deliberately short of the shrill Curb style of earlier years.

“If he becomes the nominee for lieutenant governor, it shows the public cares only for 30-second spots on TV and not for substance,” Richardson said.

The winner of Tuesday’s Republican primary will face Democratic Lt. Gov. Leo T. McCarthy in the November general election. McCarthy is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Richardson Counters

With Curb buying more and more television time, Richardson was countering with his own TV and radio campaign and hoping for a low voter turnout in Tuesday’s election.

Richardson, a combative conservative who has created statewide organizations to fight gun control and push for tougher criminal laws, has spent much of his 20-year legislative career cultivating grass-roots Republicans. He believes his supporters are more likely to show up in a low-turnout election than those who might vote for Curb.

A recent endorsement of Richardson came from Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network and host of the evangelical television program, “The 700 Club.” Robertson also has been talked about as a possible presidential candidate in 1988.

Using Opinion Surveys

Curb, meanwhile, hopes to capitalize on public opinion surveys that show he is still a widely known political commodity among Republicans. The polls consistently have shown him holding a comfortable lead over Richardson, although a recent survey by San Francisco pollster Mervyn Field showed the lawmaker moving closer.

Curb, an independent record producer, served one controversial term as lieutenant governor from 1978 to 1982 and then quit to run unsuccessfully for governor. His campaign against Gov. George Deukmejian, in contrast to the current campaign, was one of the noisiest and most bitterly contested Republican primaries in recent years.

This time, Curb clearly is trying to establish a calmer image among voters. His television ads, like Richardson’s spots, stress a friendly relationship with the governor, whom Curb endorsed the night of his 1982 primary defeat and then campaigned for in the general election.

Close to Governor

In their television commercials, both Curb and Richardson try to align themselves politically with Deukmejian, and both are shown side by side with the governor. Curb talks about him and Deukmejian running as a “team.” Richardson refers to “a winning combination” and “partnership.”

But the governor denied any favoritism during a Capitol news conference Wednesday. “I’m staying steadfastly out of that primary,” Deukmejian told reporters. Seeming amused by both candidates’ ads, Deukmejian said he was “flattered” by the attention, and thought the free publicity was “terrific.”

Fred Karger, Curb’s campaign manager, said the former lieutenant governor will end up spending at least $1.3 million on the primary.

“There are still a lot of undecideds out there,” said Karger, citing Curb’s own private polls showing that many voters have not made up their minds. Karger said winning the support of undecided voters “is almost purely a result of television advertising.”

Richardson expects to spend about $1 million.

Getting in His Licks

The senator is highly critical of Curb in interviews, calling him a lightweight who lacks a substantive public record and takes a “me-too” approach to issues, echoing the positions of other conservatives. But so far Richardson has not taken after his opponent in radio or television ads, preferring instead to emphasize his own background and positions.

Both Curb and Richardson talk at campaign appearances about their strong support for the death penalty, and their opposition to California Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird in her November confirmation election. Those are the issues they believe will hurt McCarthy in November. The incumbent, a former Speaker of the state Assembly, supports Bird and opposed the death penalty for many years, although in recent months he has modified his position to support limited use of capital punishment.

Curb defends his low-profile campaign strategy. So far, he has not held a general news conference and has turned down repeated requests to appear with Richardson for debates or joint appearances. Most recently, he turned down an offer to appear with Richardson on Los Angeles radio station KABC’s “Michael Jackson Show.”