California Elections : Cool Dornan-Robinson Race Ready to Heat Up

For months, it has been billed as one of the nation’s nastiest and most expensive congressional races--a brawling confrontation in the heart of Orange County between a flamboyant conservative Republican and a crafty Democratic challenger.

But so far, the contest between Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) and Assemblyman Richard Robinson (D-Garden Grove) in the 38th Congressional District has been unusually quiet, with only sporadic outbursts and few indications that either side will be setting fund-raising records.

Both candidates agree, however, that in a matter of days a tidal wave of aggressive political mailers will begin flooding the district, and the race--bruising and intense--will finally live up to its advance billing before the Nov. 4 election.

“With these two guys, it’s not a question of whether the fireworks will begin,” said one long-time Orange County political observer. “It’s a question of when . . . and who will be left alive when it’s over.”

Labeled Top Priority

Indeed, the battle for the 38th District--a largely blue-collar area stretching from Cerritos in Los Angeles County to Santa Ana in Orange County--has been labeled a top priority nationally by both parties.

Two years ago, Dornan, a former Los Angeles congressman, waged a slashing, $1.1-million campaign and snatched the seat away from five-term veteran Jerry Patterson. The victory was a smashing comeback for the outspoken, anti-Communist crusader, who earlier had been squeezed out of his coastal district by a Democratic-sponsored reapportionment plan.

Dornan’s campaign in 1984 was financed in part by a direct-mail effort that tapped longtime supporters across the nation, including right-to-life groups, fundamentalist Christian organizations and associations of gun-control opponents. He is expected to use the same fund-raising techniques in this election , including a personal fund-raising appeal from President Reagan, and outspend Robinson by a comfortable margin.

Democrats, stung by Patterson’s defeat, have vowed to recapture the seat and are predicting that the race will be one of the nation’s most hotly contested. Yet, the Democrats face an uphill battle against Dornan, especially since their once-solid voter registration edge over Republicans in the district has dwindled to only seven percentage points.

The 38th District itself is an anomaly--a community of modest single-family homes and apartments that contrasts sharply with the more affluent suburbs of Orange County. While most of the county is white, more than 25% of the district is Latino and nearly 56,000 of its residents live in poverty, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. The area has more residents of Vietnamese ancestry than any congressional district in the nation.

Democratic leaders believe that these demographics give them a shot at ousting Dornan because they resemble the kind of urban area that traditionally backs their candidates.

12 Years in Assembly

They have pinned their hopes on Robinson, a 12-year Assembly veteran whose effective and ruthless political style has made him one of Sacramento’s most skilled insiders. A proven fund-raiser, Robinson collected $900,000 two years ago to retain his seat in an Assembly district--the 72nd--that includes much of the 38th Congressional District.

His victory margin in that race, however, was only 256 votes--a reflection of the area’s increasing conservatism and an indication that Robinson’s Assembly days might have been numbered. The 43-year-old legislator also entered this year’s race under the cloud of the statewide scandal surrounding W. Patrick Moriarty, convicted of political corruption. One of Moriarty’s former assistants, Richard Raymond Keith, has said that their boss provided prostitutes to Robinson, a charge the candidate denies.

Still, Democratic leaders believe Dornan is vulnerable. A key factor, they say, is that Robinson, a moderate-to-conservative legislator, should be able to deflect charges that he is too liberal for the district--a tactic that Dornan used against Patterson two years ago.

More importantly, Democratic leaders point to the involvement of the powerful Waxman-Berman political organization in Robinson’s campaign. Run by Los Angeles Democratic Reps. Howard L. Berman and Henry A. Waxman, the influential political operation specializes in computerized mail campaigns and has played a major role in Robinson’s fund-raising efforts here and in Washington.

“The race in the 38th is certainly one of our targeted campaigns . . . one of the races into which we are going to be pouring as many resources as we can,” said Martin Franks, an assistant at the Democratic National Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington.

“Needless to say,” Franks added, “the key issue is Dornan himself.”

‘Draft-Dodging Wimp’

During his nearly four terms in office, Dornan’s outspoken, belligerent political style has attracted national attention, often infuriating liberals yet endearing him to conservatives. The red-headed, 53-year-old lawmaker created an uproar in Congress last year, for example, when he scuffled with Rep. Thomas Downey (D-N.Y.) on the floor of the House, jerked Downey’s tie and called him a “draft-dodging wimp.”

Later, Dornan was criticized for calling Soviet television commentator Vladimir Posner a “betraying little Jew,” a comment he said afterward had been a slip of the tongue and was not meant to be anti-Semitic. Dornan also prompted an outcry by accusing House Democrats of opposing defense appropriations, “with your mouths dripping spleen and bile.”

Dornan has generated publicity--and stirred controversy--with travels to Syria, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Israel, Costa Rica, El Salvador and other countries in the past two years. He has traveled on behalf of a variety of causes, including support for the contras, freeing the U.S. hostages in Lebanon and a quest for information about U.S. soldiers still listed as missing in action in Southeast Asia.

A staunch supporter of President Reagan, Dornan claimed his travels have strengthened the Aministration’s hand in foreign policy and produced real gains--including the release of Father Martin Jenco from Lebanese captivity. He bristles at criticism that such trips are inappropriate for a congressman.

“I came here (Washington) to make a difference . . . and I’m not going to be silenced,” Dornan said. “I’ve gone to very difficult places, hardly garden spots of the world. I’ve gone alone, and much of it I’ve paid for by myself.”

‘Go Off Gallivanting’

Robinson, however, has ridiculed Dornan’s travels, saying these “ballyhooed” expeditions accomplish little and have caused him to neglect the interests of his district. The first responsibility of a congressman, he said, is to deal with problems at home, not to “go off gallivanting through Asia and Central America.”

“Bob spends more time going to and from Nicaragua than he does on the freeway problems of his district,” Robinson charged. “It’s clear the man is obsessed with being the under secretary of state to the Third World.”

Although his campaign has been slow to start, in part because of a prolonged legislative session in Sacramento, Robinson pledged that he will stress his accomplishments as an assemblyman and point out Dornan’s “record of neglect.” District voters, he added, have been embarrassed by their congressman’s “errors and mistakes.”

During 12 years in Sacramento, Robinson said, he has sponsored major bills on transportation, the state budget, Medi-Cal reform and the courts. Unlike Dornan, Robinson added, he has been able to work constructively with members of the opposing party, including Gov. George Deukmejian. As a congressman, Robinson pledged to “hit the ground running,” focusing on efforts to free up federal funds and relieve the 38th District’s chronic freeway congestion.

Dornan, however, does not buy the charge that he has neglected district problems. In fact, he said, the issue “plays to my strongest suit.” In less than two years, Dornan said, “I have done more on a variety of problems than my predecessor did in 10 years.”

After years of federal neglect, Dornan said, he helped secure $2.5 million in funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to be used to upgrade and rehabilitate Buena Clinton, a run-down area in Garden Grove known as Orange County’s worst slum. Through his assistance, similar grant funds have been earmarked for Santa Ana, he said.

Dornan said he personally persuaded federal officials to shelve controversial plans to open a halfway house for convicts in Buena Park. In addition, he said, he has actively supported a $900,000 program to synchronize peak-hour traffic flow near Anaheim Stadium. The proposal has been included in the 1986-87 budget “largely through my efforts,” Dornan said.

Emphasis on Local Issues

Both sides said they plan to emphasize local issues as the campaign heads into its last four weeks. So far, however, the two campaigns have concentrated on little but charges over misleading statements about the candidates’ military records. Both Robinson and Dornan have denied misrepresenting their military service.

Robinson stressed that he has no intention of “getting down in the gutter with Bob Dornan.”

Dornan, who in June sent out a mailer blasting Robinson’s links to Moriarty, pledged that he will run an honorable campaign. The Moriarty issue is far from dead, Dornan added, because “the public is very up-tight about prostitutes.”

With less than a month to go, the race is slowly stirring to life. When it does, “the roof’s going to blow,” said George Urch, executive director of the Orange County Democratic Party. “Dornan’s going to get angry. . . . Robinson’s going to get angry. Believe me, it’s going to get pretty rough.”