Week in Review : MAJOR EVENTS, IMAGES AND PEOPLE IN ORANGE COUNTY NEWS. : COUNTY : Robinson, Dornan to Duel in the 38th

It was the race to watch all spring, the down-to-the-wire duel between Assemblyman Richard Robinson and Superior Court Judge David O. Carter in the 38th Congressional District for the Democratic nomination.

When it was all over, Robert K. Dornan, the flamboyant, red-haired Republican who captured the seat two years ago, grinned mightily and looked skyward: “I got Dickie Robinson . . . Thank you, God!”

Thus was the stage set for what promises to be one of the nation’s most expensive--and most interesting--congressional contests, an all-out brawl between a feisty Democrat and an outrageous Republican that could easily escalate to $1 million apiece for the coveted central Orange County seat.

Robinson, backed by such Democratic heavyweights at Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, Los Angeles-area Reps. Howard Berman and Henry Waxman, and former Orange County Democratic Party chairmen Richard O’Neill and Howard Adler, drew 66.6% of the vote to Carter’s 32.6%.

Carter, who had volunteer help and solid financial support for his “new leadership” campaign from young, professional party activists, said after the election he didn’t feel he could ethically endorse Robinson in November. But, he said, “if you ask me whom I’m going to vote for, it would be Robinson.” The rest of the Carter camp also promised to help.

Robinson, for his part, was already champing at the bit to take on Dornan. “Dornan spends more time going to and from Nicaragua than on the congested freeways of the district,” he suggested testily before the final ballots were even in.

Dornan, in a brief fit of magnanimity, suggested he and Robinson might sit down over “a cup of java” and arrange “a nice educational campaign” full of debate on real issues of national importance. .