Campaigning Gets Personal as the Big Day Nears

Hundreds of precinct walkers and phone callers--and at least one banner-flying airplane--were in action Sunday as candidates for the 40th and 42nd congressional districts put the finishing touches on their campaigns.

Most of the major GOP candidates in the two heavily Republican districts were going from door to door themselves asking for votes. In both districts, winning Tuesday’s primary is tantamount to winning the general election.

Also preparing for the election were proponents and opponents of the hotly debated Measure A, the slow-growth initiative that would put restrictions on development in Orange County’s unincorporated areas.

In the bitterly contested race in the 40th Congressional District, two of the major candidates--Newport Beach businessman Nathan Rosenberg and lawyer C. Christopher Cox of Newport Beach--were walking precincts. Rosenberg also had about 120 of his volunteers walking precincts, about 30 callers at his headquarters and an airplane flying over Orange County’s beaches pulling a “Vote for Nathan Rosenberg” banner. Rosenberg said a supporter paid for the banner.

Cox, who was walking in Newport Beach, had about 100 walkers and 100 callers joining him in his last-minute effort to succeed retiring Rep. Robert E. Badham (R-Newport Beach). Among his precinct walkers were Assemblyman Dennis Brown (R-Signal Hill) and state Sen. Edward R. Royce (R-Anaheim).

“I go only to those homes where I have a shot,” Cox said between walks Sunday. Those include homes where there are registered Republican voters who have already expressed support for Cox or who are undecided.

The third leading contender, Irvine City Councilman C. David Baker, appeared at an afternoon fund-raiser in Leisure World in Laguna Hills with former conservative radio commentator Bruce Herschensohn, who ran unsuccessfully in the California Republican primary for U.S. Senate in 1986. Leisure World is considered a key battleground in the 40th District because there are large numbers of Republicans who are faithful voters.

Baker also had about 25 walkers and a few callers working on his campaign Sunday.

Three of the leading Republican candidates in the 42nd District, which is split between Orange and Los Angeles counties, were in danger of bumping into each other as they concentrated their precinct-walking efforts in Huntington Beach. One of them, Orange County Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder, was in her home turf of Huntington Harbour.

“It’s purely walking and phoning for the next two days,” said Jeff Wallack, Wieder’s campaign manager, reflecting the strategies of most of the campaigns.

The other two seeking support in Huntington Beach were ex-presidential speech writer Dana Rohrabacher of Palos Verdes Estates and Andrew Littlefair of Torrance, a former White House advance man.

The fourth major candidate in that race, former Cal State Long Beach President Stephen Horn, was concentrating his precinct-walking in Torrance, hoping to capture the undecided voters there.

“Torrance seems to be where this campaign could easily be determined,” said Horn’s campaign manager, Fred Karger. “According to our phoning, it’s still pretty much up for grabs.”

Voters are still getting one of the final mailers in a race that has been conducted primarily in the mailbox. The mailer, from Wieder, says: “Steve Horn’s Final Grade: FAILED.” It includes a montage of newspaper stories written during Horn’s well-publicized forced resignation from Cal State Long Beach last fall in the wake of budgetary problems and low faculty morale.

In the 42nd District, in particular, candidates reported finding huge numbers of voters who have not yet decided on their choice for Congress. For that reason, they predict that the race will be close and that much depends on how proficient they are at getting their supporters to the polls.

Low Turnout Feared

Because the presidential primaries are all but over, and there are no state initiatives of burning interest, candidates are fearful that voter turnout at the polls will be low.

“I’m of the theory the undecided voters, a lot of them, won’t vote,” Karger said. “Our job is to get those Horn supporters and explain that because of a low turnout, each and every Horn supporter is very important.”

In Orange County, Registrar of Voters Don Tanney predicted that the turnout would be a little higher--he thought perhaps even as high as 50%--because of the presence of the slow-growth initiative, Measure A, on the ballot.

On Sunday, campaign organizers opposed to Measure A announced that Rockwell International, Bank of America and First Interstate Bank have joined a list of firms endorsing the campaign against Measure A. The other two major banks opposing the measure are Wells Fargo and Security Pacific Bank, said John Simon, chairman for the No on Measure A campaign.

However, Thomas C. Rogers, a spokesman for the slow-growth initiative, predicted that the endorsements would carry little weight.

‘Not Surprising’

“We’ve said all along that the special-interest groups have opposed us in this,” Rogers aid. “The banks have been major contributors to the campaign against Measure A, so it’s certainly not surprising and absolutely true to form.”

On Sunday, both political camps were busy coordinating volunteers, who canvassed shopping malls, swap meets and major department stores.

“We’re working now on a get-out-the-vote push for Tuesday,” said Lynn Wessell, who is managing the anti-Measure A campaign. He said he believes support for Measure A is softening because there appeared to be “increasing numbers of people who do not yet know how they’ll vote.”

However, Rogers said, slow-growth volunteers on Sunday were at the swap meets and major department stores, “where we have found our strength and support for Measure A very firm.”

Times staff writers Steven R. Churm and David Reyes contributed to this report.