Zschau Looks to Senate in 1992, Plans to Build Base

After coming from nowhere, Ed Zschau said, he does not plan to go back.

Zschau, the once-obscure congressman who came closer to unseating Democratic Sen. Alan Cranston than any other Republican ever has, said Wednesday that he will remain active in party politics and that his “first thought” is to run for the Senate again in 1992.

In a telephone interview from his Washington office, an upbeat Zschau said he hopes to go into private business and plans to make speeches, raise money and write articles in order to build a base in the state Republican Party.

“One of the delights about being out of office is that no one questions your motives,” Zschau said. “I can take a longer view.”

As for running in 1992, when Cranston’s fourth term will expire, Zschau said: “I’ve virtually promised that (to supporters). It’s my first thought.”

‘Get Started Now’

He then added, jokingly, “Hey, we have to get started now if we’re going to raise the $40 million it will take to win.”

Zschau and Cranston each spent more than $10 million on this year’s election in the most expensive political race in California history.

Although he does not intend to be a one-time wonder in California politics, Zschau said Wednesday, “I know what it’s like to be obscure, so I’m not afraid of that.”

He was alluding to being the choice of only 3% of Republicans polled when he announced his Senate candidacy in November, 1985.

Seven months later, with the conservative vote split among several candidates, the more moderate Zschau captured the nomination with the help of more than $2 million in television ads.

But just when it seemed he might be the exciting “new face “ who could end Cranston’s Senate tenure at three terms, Zschau was put on the defensive by the senator’s early attacks and never managed to define himself.

Zschau acknowledged on Wednesday his problem in getting out his own message in the campaign.

“It was like playing tennis against somebody who just keeps you off balance,” Zschau said. “I just never got off my best shot.”

Still, Zschau lost by only 116,622 votes, or 1.6% of the total cast.

‘It Requires Time’

Otto Bos, a top adviser to California Sen. Pete Wilson, said that he thinks Zschau lost because he was too new a face in state politics, adding that Zschau has the opportunity to fix that.

“There is an upside to being a fresh face,” Bos said, “but in a state as big and complex as California, there is a downside too. It requires time to take root in the political soil. That is what Zschau can do now if he wants to.”

But, Bos added, “he’s got to stay visible somehow, because the public’s memory is awfully short.”

Longtime Cranston adviser Mickey Kantor said: “Zschau has to build a base among Republican activists, who are crucial in the primary process. He’s also got to curry favor with elected officials by helping raise money, and he has to identify himself with some issues that will give him form and content.

“Otherwise he will continue to be a faceless person politically. Zschau went about as far as you can go by simply offering himself as an alternative to Alan Cranston. That wasn’t enough to win, obviously,” said Kantor, who laughed and added, “And that is the first and last advice I will ever give to a Republican.”

Assemblyman Robert Naylor (R-Menlo Park), who opposed Zschau in the Senate primary, said, “I think Ed definitely has a future in state Republican politics.

“For one thing, we don’t know if George Deukmejian will run again for governor in 1990. And there are the other constitutional offices. In all cases our party does not have a strong bench. I think Ed could be a major player in those areas,” said Naylor, who hopes to be the next state Republican chairman.

Zschau, in the Wednesday interview, gave a different view from most political professionals of the final days of the Senate race, when many undecided voters were making up their minds.

In the last two weeks, Cranston proved to be a seasoned campaigner who avoided mistakes and was very skilled at making voters aware of his accomplishments.

‘Double Standard’

Zschau, on the other hand, struggled on the stump and in press conferences, reinforcing the image of inexperience and unpredictability that Cranston had tried to stick him with.

The result was a spate of generally negative stories about Zschau and positive ones about Cranston.

Zschau charged Wednesday that the problem was not his inexperience as a campaigner but rather a “double standard” in the press, which held him up to more scrutiny than it did Cranston.

“There was a double standard that has not been acknowledged,” Zschau said. “He was old news, so it was not much fun to write about him when he changed his mind and supported the immigration bill or when he went into the Silicon Valley and wrongly accused me of not doing a good job with my company. It was more fun to write about me (making mistakes).”

The press also let Cranston off the hook too lightly, Zschau said, when the senator refused to debate Zschau one-on-one.

‘Dissonance Reduction’

“Debates would have shown Californians that I was experienced enough to be a senator,” Zschau said. “But the press made it seem like we were both dragging our feet on debates, when it was always Cranston.”

Known for his sense of humor, Zschau, a former professor and founder of a computer-related company, said Wednesday, “It’s amazing how the mind can rationalize the most negative situation. And my mind has been active lately. It’s called dissonance reduction.”

What will Zschau do immediately?

“Right now I’ve got to find a job; I’ve got kids in school. I’ll be at the state Republican convention in February to thank everybody for their support.”