ELECTIONS ’88 : Rohrabacher Credits Ollie’s Support in Win

Three months after returning to the Palos Verdes Peninsula where he grew up, former presidential speech writer Dana Rohrabacher appears headed back to Washington after his decisive victory in the 42nd Congressional District’s Republican primary.

After raising questions about the integrity of his chief opponent in the race, Rohrabacher relied on his long association with President Reagan and a pre-election campaign swing by retired Marine Lt. Col. Oliver L. North--the Iran-Contra figure who is the darling of many conservatives--to appeal to voters in the solidly Republican district.

The campaign strategy worked. From the moment the polls closed Tuesday night, the self-described “Reagan Republican for Congress” was on his way to victory.

When all the precincts were counted, Rohrabacher topped the eight-candidate field in both the Los Angeles County and Orange County portions of the district, drawing 35% of the vote. Orange County Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder, who drew 22%, was a distant second, followed by former Cal State Long Beach President Stephen Horn, who received 20%, and ex-White House advance man Andrew J. Littlefair of Torrance, who managed just 8%.

A triumphant Rohrabacher, 40, said he is “very grateful” to North for his appearance at a Long Beach airport rally and fund-raising events on June 1 that provided money to get Rohrabacher’s message across in last-minute mailers and cable television ads.

“Ollie North’s appearance here was the turning point of this campaign,” Rohrabacher said as the votes were being tallied. “And I cannot tell you how many times I walked down the street and people said to me, ‘If you’re for Ollie, I’m for you.’ ”

“He was able to shine the spotlight and say look, pay attention to this guy,” Rohrabacher said in a post-election interview Wednesday.

Allan Hoffenblum, Rohrabacher’s campaign consultant, said the “Reagan Republican for Congress” theme was hammered home in mailers that featured pictures of the President and the candidate in the Oval Office plus a letter from Reagan thanking Rohrabacher for his seven years of service as a White House speech writer.

“We moved in with that message, delivered it clearly and concisely, while all the other candidates were attacking each other,” Hoffenblum said. “Then we had Ollie come in, and Ollie just consummated it.”

But the consultant acknowledged that the come-from-behind campaign would not have been possible if the candidate had not dug up some damaging information about Wieder and reminded voters of Horn’s problems at Cal State Long Beach.

A month ago, a Rohrabacher campaign aide told reporters that Wieder, considered the early front-runner based on name identification and fund raising, had lied about having a degree in journalism from Wayne State University. In fact, she had never attended college.

“We made one disclosure . . . that she had not been telling the truth about her education,” Rohrabacher said.

Wieder admitted that she had lied about her educational background in biographies for 25 years. She said she was ashamed that her family could not afford a college education, and said the misstatement was an aide’s mistake years ago that she had never corrected.

But a week later, it was revealed that Wieder had lied under oath about her educational background in a deposition taken last fall in a civil suit against Orange County. She had signed a transcript of the deposition in April, certifying under penalty of perjury that her testimony was truthful.

Impersonated Reporter

Wieder received more bad press when her campaign press secretary impersonated a radio reporter the following week to gather information on a threatened recall movement against her.

In last-minute campaign mailings, Rohrabacher reprinted a montage of negative newspaper headlines about Wieder and Horn--who was forced out after 17 years as president of Cal State Long Beach because of budget problems and a public confrontation with California State University Chancellor W. Ann Reynolds.

While Horn and Littlefair lashed at Wieder, Rohrabacher sent other mailers stressing his conservative endorsements and ties to Reagan. It was part of what Rohrabacher described as a plan to “stake out the conservative turf and reach the people through direct mail.”

Two polls, financed by his and Wieder’s campaigns, showed a massive undecided vote began to move in Rohrabacher’s direction last week after North’s appearance. Final results show he defeated Wieder on her home turf in Orange County.

The district stretches from Torrance around the Palos Verdes Peninsula, across a narrow strip of Long Beach to Huntington Beach and northwestern Orange County.

Most Conservative District

Rohrabacher resigned his White House post in early March after Rep. Daniel E. Lungren (R-Long Beach) decided to give up the congressional seat he held for 10 years to pursue a disputed appointment as state treasurer.

In November, Rohrabacher will face Democrat Guy Kimbrough, 43, a liberal political science professor at Mt. San Jacinto College in Riverside County. The district is one of the most conservative in the state and historically has voted for Republicans.

If he wins, Rohrabacher will be the first congressman from the Palos Verdes Peninsula in memory. He attended Palos Verdes High School, followed by Harbor College, Cal State Long Beach and USC, where he earned a master’s degree in American Studies.

During his college days, Rohrabacher was an outspoken activist for Libertarian causes, but he says his belief in Libertarian philosophy of personal freedom has been tempered by time.

After serving as a radio reporter and editorial writer for the Orange County Register, Rohrabacher joined the Reagan Administration as a White House speech writer in January, 1981. He was known as a dedicated “movement conservative” while a member of the President’s staff. He stayed in that post until he returned to the district last March to run.

Rohrabacher, who is single, has been staying with friends who he calls his “church family” in Palos Verdes Estates. Rohrabacher, whose family no longer lives on the Peninsula, was active in the Peninsula Baptist Church as a youth and, he said: “I think of the Palos Verdes Peninsula as my home.”

But he said he is not sure where he is going to live. “I’ll give it a great deal of thought. I don’t know if I can afford to live in Palos Verdes.”