THE CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS : Calif. Democrats’ Edge in House Survives

The Republicans won the White House, but it wasn’t their year in California’s congressional districts.

Not only did Republicans fail to cut into the Democrats’ 27-18 edge in the California delegation, the political survival of a loyal Reagan Administration lieutenant, Rep. Robert J. Lagomarsino (R-Ventura), remained in doubt Wednesday because of uncounted absentee ballots.

Lagomarsino led State Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara) by 2,276 votes in unofficial results. But enough absentee ballots remain uncounted to tip the outcome to Hart.

It could take a week to count the remaining 9,000 absentee ballots, election officials in Santa Barbara and Ventura said.

Still, Hart’s chances are slim. Early absentee votes ran 60% for Lagomarsino. His supporters sounded confident Wednesday that he would get most of the outstanding votes.

“The congressman certainly believes he has won the race,” campaign fund raiser Mike Price said.

Hart, who spent more than $1 million trying to wrest the seat from Lagomarsino, would not concede. “I am confident that these very close election results reflect a strong and growing sentiment for positive change in this district,” said a Hart statement.

Lagomarsino also spent more than $1 million trying to keep the seat he has held since 1974. He is a high-ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a vocal defender of Reagan policy in Central America. His defeat would be doubly embarrassing because the district is home to President Reagan’s foothill Rancho del Cielo and the President stumped for Lagomarsino this summer.

Assuming that Lagomarsino holds on, Republicans will come through the election without losing any seats. But GOP leaders had hoped to take at least one or two seats from Democrats who appeared to be weak.

There are three new Republican congressmen--two from Southern California and one from the San Jose area--in districts previously held by Republicans.

Dana Rohrabacher, 41, a former journalist and White House speech writer, was elected to replace Rep. Daniel E. Lungren (R-Long Beach) in a district that reaches from the South Bay to Orange County. C. Christopher Cox, another former White House aide, replaces Rep. Robert Badham (R-Newport Beach) in an Orange County district.

Safe Districts

Both replace incumbents in safe Republican districts who did not seek reelection.

The newcomer from Northern California is Thomas J. Campbell, a Stanford law professor, who defeated San Mateo County Supervisor Anna Eshoo. Campbell, who won by a 51% to 46% margin, also formerly worked in the Reagan White House. He resumes a tradition of moderate Republican House members from the foothills and Silicon Valley area south of San Francisco.

Before Rep. Ernest Konnyu (R-Saratoga), a conservative whom Campbell defeated in the June primary, the district was represented by Reps. Ed Zschau and Paul N. (Pete) McCloskey.

The missed Republican chances were all in Southern California.

A few weeks before the election, Rep. Jim Bates (D-San Diego) was charged by former staff members with sexually harassing women who worked for him. Bates apologized and tried several times to explain the incidents, but the Republican challenger was given substantial help from party leaders in Washington, who saw an opportunity to win a seat.

Still a Likely Target

Bates wound up with nearly 60% of the vote, somewhat less than in previous years. He acknowledged the issue could entice the Republicans into trying again in 1990.

“They’ll go after me next time but I think we’ll be stronger,” Bates said Tuesday night.

Rep. George Brown Jr. (D-Colton) survived a Republican assault on his record of support for liberal causes and opposition to the death penalty. The thinking among GOP strategists was that Brown could be beaten because he was too liberal for the San Bernardino-Riverside area.

Brown defeated challenger John Paul Stark by a 54% to 42% margin, but it was Brown’s slimmest winning margin in many years. That may encourage the Republicans to try again in 1990, but probably not with Stark as the candidate; he has now lost to Brown four times.

“You ought to do a story about what keeps me running,” Stark said with a laugh. “But there are other things in life than running for Congress all the time.”

Rep. Matthew G. Martinez (D-Monterey Park) may have put an end to Republican desires on his seat by defeating challenger Ralph Ramirez by a 60% to 36% margin.