CONGRESSIONAL RACES : CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 38 : Richard Robinson--Robert K. Dornan

One of the more bitterly contested campaigns was waged in Orange County’s 38th Congressional District, where state Assemblyman Richard Robinson (D-Garden Grove) unseated incumbent Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove). In several public debates and in political mailings, the mud was slung with abandon, and meaningful dialogue was scarce throughout the campaign. The flamboyant conservative Dornan had accused Robinson of accepting favors from former fireworks manufacturer W. Patrick Moriarty, who is now serving a sentence for political corruption, and Robinson had accused Dornan of neglecting his district in favor of worthless foreign policy gestures. Some of the bitterest exchanges were on the subject of each other’s military records: Robinson had claimed that Dornan falsely implied that he served in combat in Korea and Vietnam, while Dornan said Robinson exaggerated his own Vietnam service record.