GOP Leaders Line Up Behind Pringle

By STEVEN R. CHURM

July 23, 1988 12 AM PT

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Times Staff Writer

To make up for weeks of lost campaign time, Republican leaders in Orange County quickly lined up behind Curt Pringle on Friday in the hope that the party’s new nominee in the 72nd Assembly District can hold a seat that Democrats have targeted as a must-win.

Pringle, 29, emerged Thursday night as the GOP’s choice to replace Assemblyman Richard E. Longshore, who died June 8--one day after Republican voters nominated him for a second term in Sacramento.

Pringle, chairman of the Garden Grove Planning Commission, was one of nine people seeking the nomination, among them Longshore’s widow, Linda, 32.

Despite having joined other GOP activists on the podium Thursday night after Pringle’s selection, Linda Longshore made it clear Friday that she is upset with the way her husband’s successor was chosen. She suggested that the process had been slanted in Pringle’s favor from the outset and that she was “ignored” and treated “coldly” by the party Establishment.

“It’s obvious that the rest of us never had a chance,” Linda Longshore said, adding that she has not decided whether to endorse Pringle. “They were looking for an image, not someone who can serve the community. . . . I hope they are happy come Nov. 8.”

Assemblyman Longshore had a strong following, even among a number of Democrats in the district, and Pringle’s chances hinge, in part, on his ability to win over Longshore loyalists, political experts said Friday.

Without that support, Pringle may face an uphill battle against Democrat Christian F. (Rick) Thierbach III, 38, an Anaheim resident and deputy district attorney in Riverside County.

The contest in the largely blue-collar district in central Orange County has been given a high priority by both parties because it is critical to Republican hopes of regaining control of the Assembly before reapportionment takes place in 1990.

“This race is our No. 1 target in the state,” said Assemblyman Dennis Brown (R-Signal Hill), chairman of the GOP Assembly caucus. “The Democrats feel the same way. It is going to be an all-out fight.”

Both sides agree that each candidate could end up spending more than $600,000.

Moments after his selection, Pringle was given $10,000 by the county Republican Central Committee to hire a staff and open a headquarters. Pringle and campaign manager Carlos Rodriguez plan to spend the weekend mapping out their strategy.

Rodriguez and his Sacramento-based partner, Gary Huckaby, were largely responsible for engineering the recent primary victory of Republican C. Christopher Cox in the 40th Congressional District.

In the 72nd District, where Democrats enjoy a sizable voter registration edge over Republicans--about 50% to 39%--Longshore was believed to have had a good chance of being reelected.

But the prospects for the boyish-looking Pringle, who was picked by secret ballot by members of the county Republican Central Committee, are not as bright.

Thierbach has been campaigning for weeks, walking precincts and phoning voters to raise money. Pringle is little known outside GOP circles, and building enough name identification by Election Day to overcome the Democratic registration edge may be difficult.

Thierbach is also seen to have an edge in regard to a key district concern: crime.

In an area experiencing increased gang activity, Thierbach’s law-and-order background is expected to play well.

Republicans are expected to present Pringle as the home-grown candidate, a man who has lived in or near the district for more than two decades. He works in the family-owned drapery manufacturing business in Anaheim, is president of an adult day-care center and has run (although not successfully) three times for the City Council in Garden Grove, his hometown.

Pringle described himself as a “hard-working conservative” who fits the Republican profile well.

Married, with one child, he is also a ranking member of the party’s central committee, which some believe made the difference in his being selected.

Early Contender

After Longshore’s death, Pringle’s name was one of the first to surface as a possible replacement.

In recent weeks, however, the leading contenders were thought to be Linda Longshore; Brian Bennett, an aide to Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), and Daniel Barrett McNerney, an Orange County deputy district attorney. A voter poll commissioned by Assembly Republicans had Bennett and McNerney finishing ahead of Pringle.

Yet Pringle got the nod.

“Bennett passed the conservative litmus test but was too independent, too unpredictable,” said one central committee member, who added that Bennett’s early criticism that the selection process was “fixed” did not enhance his standing. McNerney, the source said, stacked up well on crime issues but lacked political experience, as did Linda Longshore.

“But Pringle is the consummate team player who won’t surprise party regulars,” the source said. “They can count on him to vote the party line.”

Pringle, one GOP official said, is also “squeaky clean,” something that was imperative in the minds of Republican leaders stung by the events in the primaries in the 40th and 42nd congressional districts. In those races, the two leading GOP candidates, former Irvine Councilman C. David Baker and Orange County Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder, were hurt by damaging revelations.

Baker was dogged by accusations of adultery, and Wieder was forced to admit she had lied about having a college degree.

Some Were Surprised

Kim Karie, Thierbach’s political consultant, was surprised by Pringle’s selection, saying: “I thought they would pick more of a heavy hitter--like Longshore, who has the name, or Bennett. . . . We’re delighted.”

Harvey Englander, another political consultant who is not involved with the campaign, described Pringle’s selection as “a real reach. His electoral experience is worse than weak. . . . The Republicans were in trouble the day Dick Longshore died, and they’ve done nothing to improve their chances.”

Englander was equally blunt, however, about the Democrats’ campaign thus far. Thierbach’s campaign was barely visible while the Republicans were searching for a new nominee, Englander said. Although he believes Thierbach’s chances improved greatly with Longshore’s death, he said Thierbach may have made a “fatal error” by failing to use the last six weeks to send mailers and build name identification.

“Thierbach isn’t exactly a household name . . . and he may regret having gone to sleep while the Republicans fumbled around,” Englander said.

With the departure of President Reagan from the White House, Democrats believe that many party members who voted for him will now switch back to the Democratic ticket and that the party can reclaim the 72nd District seat.

But pollster Arnold Steinberg, who conducted the survey of district voters for Assembly Republicans, said Democrats in the district are generally conservative, middle-class homeowners.

“We found most of them, at this point, are going to vote for Bush, which should help Pringle,” Steinberg said.

72ND ASSEMBLY DISTRICT

Racial/Ethnic Breakdown

Number % White 200,869 70.1 Black 7,305 2.5 Asian 16,185 5.6 Other 62,153 21.7 Total 286,512 100.0 Hispanic 109,860 38.3

Because of overlap, totals equal more than 100%.

Median Age

Age Men 33.1 years Women 35.3 years Overall 34.1 years

Income

Median Household Income $21,186

Per Capita Income $9,664

Voting Age Population

Total Number Of That Group Of All 18+ Men 97,693 68.0% 49.6% Women 99,319 69.5 50.4 Black 4,531 62.0 2.3 Hispanic 65,289 59.4 33.1