Bush Urges Conservatives to Back Zschau but Concedes Some May Not

Campaigning in Irvine Wednesday for U.S. Senate candidate Ed Zschau, Vice President George Bush urged California conservatives to unite behind the moderate Republican’s candidacy but conceded that “you can’t win them all.”

“My view is, the party is very well unified,” Bush said at a press conference several hours before a $500-a-plate fund-raiser for the Los Altos congressman.

But, said the vice president, noting that some Republicans are refusing to back Zschau because he is not conservative enough, “you can’t win them all. There are some people who are not going to stay with you. And I expect there are some conservative Democrats who may not be with Sen. (Alan) Cranston.”

Standing behind a bulletproof podium with a smiling Zschau at his side, the vice president appealed to conservative Christian groups, who have only recently mended fences with him, to support Zschau.

“If asking for the support for Ed Zschau unmends them--unmends those fences--I’m glad to unmend them for that cause,” Bush said. “I think it’s absolutely essential that they join . . . others from all sides of this party to support Ed.”

Bush added: “I would say to those who might differ with Ed on an issue or two, ‘Who do you agree with more (Zschau or Cranston)?’ ”

‘Support for President’

In a year in which the Republican Party would like to pick up a seat and retain control of the U.S. Senate, Zschau “would be a support for the President,” Bush said. “Nobody wants a senator who will go to Washington and vote in lock step with anybody, even a very popular president. But he’s with us on most of the fundamentals,” while Cranston “votes against us on almost everything.”

One conservative Republican who has loudly proclaimed that he is not with his party’s nominee is state Sen. H. L. Richardson (R-Glendora). Last week, Richardson said that he would not vote for Zschau because the Republican nominee in his votes on abortion, gun control and other issues is “sadly lacking in personal integrity.”

“Choosing the lesser of two evils is still a selection of evils,” Richardson said of a vote for Zschau.

But on Wednesday, an upbeat Zschau smiled up at Bush and insisted that “I put Sen. Richardson down in the undecided category.”

He noted that he had received support “from all sides of the spectrum,” including conservative newscaster Bruce Herschensohn, a candidate in the primary race that Zschau won.

“As time goes on, I’m hopeful that even those who’ve expressed some reluctance (will realize) this is a critical race for the future of the country,” Zschau said.

Herschensohn was a keynote speaker with Bush and Zschau at Wednesday night’s fund-raiser, saying: “I lost, and I like the guy that won.” The event was expected to gross more than $300,000 for the Zschau campaign. About 700 Orange County Republicans came to a ballroom at the Irvine Marriott Hotel to hear entertainment by Kids Are Music and remarks by Zschau, Bush, Herschensohn, state Sen. John Seymour (R-Anaheim) and Thomas A. Fuentes, chairman of the Republican Party of Orange County.

In his dinner speech, Bush said Zschau would be an “outstanding senator” and called the difference between Zschau and Cranston “like night and day. Ed is strong and tough. He favors use of the death penalty. Cranston opposes it. Ed supports our chief justice. Cranston waged a bitter, mean battle against Justice (William) Rehnquist” during recent Senate confirmation proceedings.

Earlier in the day, as the press conference neared an end, Zschau was asked if he supported Bush for President. Bush has not formally declared his candidacy for President in 1988.

Bush cut in, answering for Zschau that that was “a good question, but we’re trying to finesse it. . . . I am trying to focus on ’86 and I am not pressing anybody (for endorsement), especially not in the middle of some hot race.”