Democratic Convention Gives a Boost to McCarthy; Wilson’s Senate Lead Cut

A spurt of enthusiasm by Democrats following their party’s national convention has helped Lt. Gov. Leo T. McCarthy narrow the gap between him and Republican Sen. Pete Wilson, the front-runner in this year’s Senate race, according to a new California Poll.

The poll shows Wilson’s lead shrinking from 19 points in April to 14 points after the July convention. The survey shows Wilson leading McCarthy 48% to 34%.

Michael DiCamillo, the poll’s managing editor, said McCarthy’s conspicuous role at the Democratic convention probably had a lot to do with his standing in the latest poll. McCarthy headed the state’s delegation and was the focus of national television when he cast the deciding votes that gave Michael S. Dukakis the Democratic presidential nomination.

A Ways to Go

But DiCamillo pointed out that McCarthy still has a ways to go in attracting members of his own party. The poll found only 56% of registered Democrats committed to McCarthy, while 80% are supporting Dukakis.

In contrast, the poll shows Wilson with the backing of 76% of his party’s voters, while Vice President George Bush, the Republican presidential choice, has the support of 66% of the state’s registered Republicans.

DiCamillo said the poll was based on interviews with 809 voters conducted July 22-29. He said the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5%.

“There is good news in the poll for McCarthy, but it also indicates that many of the voters still are not focused on the Senate race,” said Darry Sragow, McCarthy’s campaign manager. Sragow said he is confident that McCarthy’s support among Democrats will pick up as more people began to pay attention to both the Senate and presidential races.

Sees Message in Poll

Sragow argued that the poll reflects Wilson’s inability to make progress despite his expenditure of a great deal of money on the campaign.

“Pete Wilson has spent $8 million of his contributors’ money, and he continues to move basically downward in the race,” Sragow said.

Otto Bos, Wilson’s campaign manager, shrugged off the news of McCarthy’s 5-point gain.

“He got a little bit of a bump out of the convention, but it still leaves us with a 14-point advantage, and we are pleased with that,” Bos said.