McCarthy Orchestrates a ‘Manhunt’ for Rival Curb

Lt. Gov. Leo T. McCarthy stepped into a roomful of supporters Thursday and declared that he was on a “manhunt” for his Republican challenger, Mike Curb.

As television cameras rolled, McCarthy laid out the rules of his search and exhorted his backers--a few garbed in flak jackets and safari fatigues--to find his GOP opponent, who he charged has been avoiding both press conferences and debates.

All the while, aides passed out “clue books” filled with unfavorable newspaper clippings about Curb and “composite drawings”--actually a collection of unflattering political cartoons published during Curb’s four tumultuous years as lieutenant governor to Edmund G. Brown Jr.

Going for Media Attention

The event was the latest in a series of gimmicks being used with great frequency this election year by media-conscious candidates of both parties.

Until now, the prize might have gone to U.S. Senate candidates Alan Cranston and Ed Zschau, who in back-to-back press conferences served waffles and flapjacks to illustrate each other’s reversals on key issues. Zschau later said he was disappointed with the direction of the campaign and proposed moving on to more serious matters.

That might prove difficult for McCarthy. Curb so far has followed the same strategy he successfully used in his primary battle against Republican state Sen. H. L. Richardson of Glendora--keeping a low profile while holding no press conferences and directing his money to a costly television advertising campaign.

Little Interest Generated

That has made it difficult for McCarthy to generate much news media interest in the race. And while he has amassed his own $850,000 war chest, Curb, one of the GOP’s most potent fund-raisers, spent that much on television advertising alone during the primary.

Hoping to embarrass Curb, McCarthy released a list of eight debate invitations he said he has accepted in recent weeks, charging that Curb’s refusal to participate “is a telltale sign that this man is afraid.”

“We’re going to pursue him until he comes out in the open,” McCarthy declared.

Curb campaign aide David Ellis called McCarthy’s press conference “kind of cute,” adding that Curb will agree to debate if the McCarthy campaign will agree to sit down and “discuss all the details.”

“I don’t think (Curb) wants to have a debate at the corner of Flower and Fifth Street in downtown Los Angeles,” Ellis said. “To debate, you need an appropriate forum with maximum exposure for both campaigns.”

Avoiding the Press

Ellis also said that while Curb has avoided traditional press conferences, he has made himself available for television interview shows and question-and-answer sessions with individual reporters.

“I don’t know what (McCarthy) was trying to do, but I hope this is as tough as he can get in this campaign,” Ellis said.

McCarthy, however, labeled Curb’s offers to debate as merely a “tactical device” to take the heat off and “drag this thing out interminably.”

“I think the only way to force him out of hiding is to do what I am doing,” McCarthy said.

Ellis, meanwhile, declined to disclose how much money Curb has raised so far, saying that campaign officials will have a better idea after the first of a series of major fund-raising events scheduled next Thursday at the Century Plaza in Los Angeles. The events will attempt to raise money as well for state Sen. William Campbell of Hacienda Heights, a GOP controller candidate, and Orange County Supervisor Bruce Nestande, Republican candidate for secretary of state.