Badham’s Campaign Stays Quiet as Sumner Battles the Odds in 40th District

Senate Majority Leader Robert K. Dole (R-Kansas), in Orange County last month to stump for fellow Republicans, was chatting with a handful of reporters and local congressmen when he turned to Rep. Robert E. Badham (R-Newport Beach) and inquired about his reelection bid.

The 57-year-old, five-term incumbent shrugged off the question, telling Dole with a smile that he did not have much of race on his hands.

Later, when asked by a reporter why he and his aides were saying publicly that they take their Democratic challenger, retired judge Bruce Sumner, “very seriously,” Badham conceded that it would be bad form to appear over-confident about the campaign.

“I never want to go and shout from the rooftops and say I’ve got no problem,” said Badham in an interview last week. “When you are talking to another legislator, you talk a different way.”

Badham’s confidence that he will continue to represent the residents of the 40th Congressional District after the Nov. 4 election comes as no surprise to many political observers.

His affluent, largely coastal district is 60% Republican, one of the heaviest Republican registrations of any district in the nation. And voting patterns over the last 10 years indicate that the area’s voters are loyal to Republican candidates. Two years ago, when Democrat and peace activist Carol Ann Bradford mounted a strong challenge, Badham still won handily with 64% of the vote.

Badham garnered 64% of the vote again last June, when Nathan Rosenberg, a brash and well-funded political unknown, made a surprisingly well-organized run against him in the Republican primary.

Given these political realities, Badham said he sympathizes with his opponent’s uphill battle.

“I feel kind of sorry for Bruce and I don’t mean that in a condescending or patronizing way,” said Badham, who used to socialize with Sumner. Both are longtime Newport Beach residents.

“He got into this race as a retired, respected judge at the age of 61,” Badham said of his opponent. “He was the (county) chairman of his party and was thrust into this by this Lyndon LaRouche business.

“That blind-sided the Democratic Party in Orange County. So Bruce went into this as the reluctant candidate. . . . As time goes on, the encouragement is forced upon a person that it can be done, ‘You can do this Bruce,’ so it causes him to be caught up in the possibilities of a candidacy.”

Sumner was forced into the contest earlier this year when it became apparent that Art Hoffmann--a follower of extremist Democrat Lyndon H. LaRouche Jr.--was the only Democrat to file for the seat held by Badham.

To save the party from further embarrassment, Sumner, who was the county Democratic chairman at the time, decided to take on Hoffmann himself. He waged a vigorous and successful write-in campaign, preventing Hoffmann from becoming the party’s standard-bearer against Badham.

Now, Sumner, who before Hoffmann came along was at the peak of his professional career earning in excess of $200,000 a year in his legal practice, finds himself campaigning for a job that pays considerably less and one that he had never considered running for in the first place.

Sumner says he is a realist about the race, acknowledging that the numbers don’t look good on paper. He adds that he is not offended that the National Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has given him only $1,000, preferring instead to throw support behind fellow Democrat Richard Robinson, who is running in a nearby district against Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove).

John Hanna, the new chairman of Orange County’s Democratic Party, also acknowledged the difficulty of winning in what has traditionally been a safe district for Republicans. The district--which includes Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, El Toro and parts of Huntington Beach, Santa Ana and Tustin--currently has approximately 101,000 Democratic voters compared with 194,000 registered Republicans.

But Sumner bristles at those who say it would take a miracle for him to win and who question how committed he is to his campaign.

“I’m very serious about this,” Sumner said. “To me, this is a tremendous opportunity. I would love to do it (be a congressman).

“I’ve been told I shouldn’t say this,” Sumner continued, “but nobody laughs--they take my candidacy very seriously. There is a real feeling of discontent from a lot of Republicans. I have heard over and over from them that they are going to vote for me.”

Also, Sumner’s much publicized write-in campaign against Hoffman--followed by a topsy-turvy recount--has increased the public’s awareness of him. And, Sumner is no stranger to public life, with 30 years of civic activity under his belt in south Orange County. Apart from serving as the Democratic Party chairman, Sumner has been a Superior Court judge and, from 1956 to 1964, was a Republican assemblyman from Laguna Beach.

Half Full

Preferring to look at the political glass as half full rather than half empty, Sumner and local Democratic leaders also take heart in Rosenberg’s ability to get 34% of the vote during the June primary. They see Rosenberg’s showing as a sign of Republicans’ disenchantment with Badham.

“We like to hope that people will look beyond the party registration and at the individual,” said George Urch, the executive director of the county Democratic Party.

Democratic leaders see the plan for Sumner’s victory like this: If Sumner can get 30% of the Republican votes, all the Democrats and all the Independents, he can win.

But Badham said such a victory “just doesn’t happen.”

“I heard it two years ago, four years ago and six years ago. That’s about all that a Democrat can say, said Badham, adding that somebody “had sowed stars” in Sumner’s eyes. Still, for all the trading of political barbs, the contest between Badham and Sumner so far has been a quiet one. Badham has spent much of his time in Washington for the closing weeks of the 99th congressional session, focusing relatively little attention on the race.

Two Fund-Raisers

During these last two weeks, Badham said his campaign will consist of some telephoning, posting of campaign signs and two fund-raisers--one featuring Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth H. Dole, the other Secretary of the Treasury James A. Baker III.

Another indication of Badham’s confidence is that he had hoped to spend $50,000 or less on the general election campaign, according to his aides. That is a far cry from the $229,000 he was forced to spend during his difficult primary against Rosenberg.

But, as of Sept. 30, Badham had spent $65,021 on the general election and had raised $64,899, according to his campaign statements.

Sumner, by contrast, was hoping to raise more than $100,000 to pay for campaign mailers, most of which will be sent to the Republican voters he hopes to woo away from Badham. He has a half-dozen fund-raisers scheduled, including a $100-per-person event at the Balboa Bay Club, where supporters can watch the two candidates debate on KOCE-TV.

As of Sept. 30, Sumner had spent $47,835 and raised $69,000 since the primary, campaign statements show.

No Comment on Mailers

Neither side would comment on how many--or what type of--mailers they would send to registered voters. Badham’s aides, however, said their candidate is unlikely to attack Sumner, or even mention him in his political literature.

“The mailers will be directed towards Badham’s five terms in Congress, his accomplishments, the fact that he is one of the leaders of the Reagan revolution,” said David Vaporean, Badham’s campaign consultant. “It’s not necessary to give Sumner any more name identification than he already has.

As the political underdog, Sumner will zero in on what he sees as Badham’s shortcomings. “The major issue in this race is Badham,” said Sumner. “It’s his absenteeism, it’s his junket travel and it’s his expenditure of campaign funds. Sumner added that since 1982, Badham has spent more than $105,000 of campaign money on personal items, such as clothing, an automobile, flatware, first-class travel and $500 dresses for his wife.

Also, Sumner was referring in part to a finding by Congress Watch, a Washington public interest group, which reported in February that, for the second time in two years, Badham, who serves on the Armed Forces Committee, was the second most-traveled U.S. congressman.

Issue Hacked to Death

As to Sumner’s charges, Badham, who has heard them all before in previous races, said, “The absent bit? I’m not even going to comment. I’ve never missed a critical issue in my 10 years here. That (issue) has been so hacked to death.”

Badham has defended his travel on taxpayers’ money as necessary for his work on the Armed Forces Committee and as a member of a NATO-related panel.

As to his using campaign funds for personal items, Badham shot back, “It’s been clearly demonstrated that the voters can rise above that. I am doing what I’m supposed to do. If I were doing anything illegal, I would be investigated by the ethics committee. I am not. It’s only a problem because my opponents keep haranguing it, and the press has little else to write about.”

Badham said that he has not tired of being a congressman and will continue to run in the years ahead. “I have been in office a long time. I intend to be in office a long time.”

Sumner, however, is confident he can win.

“I believe that the people in this county will judge someone on their qualifications not on their party registration,” said Sumner, adding that the race is worth the effort, win or lose. “If that means I have stars in my eyes, so be it.”