Times Poll : San Diegans Want Wilson to Stay Put

As Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.) weighs whether his political future is in Washington or Sacramento, San Diegans believe that Wilson should remain in the Senate rather than run for governor, a Times poll has found.

Among other findings by the poll, which probed San Diegans’ opinions on a variety of subjects, countywide residents approved of abortion, with half those questioned describing it as a decision solely between a woman and her doctor.

And, in a surprising result for an area known for its conservative, Republican leanings, San Diegans rated Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev more favorably than they did former President Reagan.

40% Undecided

With Wilson facing increasing pressure from statewide Republican leaders to seek the 1990 GOP gubernatorial nomination in an attempt to succeed Gov. George Deukmejian, the poll showed that many San Diegans would prefer to see Wilson remain in Washington to serve the six-year term to which he was reelected in November.

By a 3-2 margin, San Diegans who expressed an opinion about Wilson’s political future said the former San Diego mayor should continue serving in the Senate rather than enter the gubernatorial campaign. More than 40% of those questioned, however, said they either had not heard enough about the issue to make a decision or had not yet made up their minds.

Thirty-three percent of those polled said Wilson should remain in the Senate, while 23% said they would like to see him run for governor, a position Wilson twice sought unsuccessfully before his election to the Senate in 1982.

Political strategy apparently influenced the poll respondents’ feelings about Wilson’s political future. According to the poll, people who described themselves as liberal preferred by a more than 3-1 margin that Wilson remain in the Senate, while conservatives were nearly evenly split on the question.

While liberals, many of whom are likely to be Democrats, have little in common philosophically with Wilson, they recognize that Wilson would be a formidable gubernatorial candidate. Democrats probably would have a better chance of winning the governorship, they realize, if Wilson stays in the Senate.

Potentially Strong Hand

Many conservative Republicans would like to see Wilson run for the state’s top elective post, particularly because the next governor will have a potentially strong hand in shaping the reapportionment of state legislative and congressional districts after the 1990 census. A Republican victory in next year’s gubernatorial campaign, GOP leaders believe, could dramatically improve the party’s political fortunes for the next decade.

At the same time, conservatives’ even division on the question appears to reflect genuine uncertainty over whether the political and policy goals they share with Wilson would be better served by having him in the Senate or the Statehouse.

The Times poll is based on interviews conducted Sunday on 719 people throughout San Diego County. The poll’s margin of sampling error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.

On the abortion issue, the poll found San Diegans favoring a pro-choice position 47% to 34%, with the rest expressing no opinion.

Asked to describe their attitudes about abortion, 50% of those polled agreed with a statement describing abortion as “a question to be decided only by a woman and her doctor.” Twenty-nine percent said they support the U. S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 Roe-vs.-Wade decision that legalized abortions, and 27% called abortion “morally wrong but a personal decision.”

Gorbachev Does Well

In the strongest anti-abortion position expressed in the poll, 27% of those questioned said they oppose abortions except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life would be endangered by giving birth. In addition, 12% favor banning the use of federal funds to pay for abortions for indigent women, and 6% said they oppose abortions under all circumstances.

Questions about people’s impressions of world leaders produced the unusual finding that Soviet leader Gorbachev’s popularity in San Diego eclipses Reagan’s and is virtually equal to that of President Bush.

Gorbachev was rated favorably by 69% of those polled, only 1 percentage point less than Bush. In contrast, Reagan--who received landslide majorities in San Diego throughout his political career--received a favorable rating from 62% of the poll’s respondents. Moreover, 37% of those polled expressed an unfavorable impression of the former President--more than twice the unfavorable rating for either Bush or Gorbachev.

The disparity in those ratings, Times pollster I. A. Lewis explained, is partly attributable to the fact that Bush is enjoying a post-inaugural honeymoon at the same time that Gorbachev continues to draw consistently favorable news coverage. Meanwhile, Reagan’s ranking, although still highly favorable, reflects what Lewis described as “the wear and tear” of eight years in the White House.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY TIMES POLL Should Pete Wilson run for governor in 1990 or should he remain in the U.S. Senate? Stay in Senate. . . 33% Run for governor. . . 23% No opinion. . . 44% What is your impression of President Bush, former President Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev?

Favorable Unfavorable No opinion Bush 70% 16% 14% Reagan 62% 37% 1% Gorbachev 69% 14% 17%

Which of the following statements best describes your feeling about abortion? (Up to four answers were accepted from each of the 719 people polled.) It is a decision between a woman and her doctor. . . 50% Support the U.S. Supreme Court’s pro-choice Roe-versus-Wade decision. . . 29% It is morally wrong, but a personal decision. . . 27% Oppose abortion except in cases of rape,incest or when the mother’s life is in danger. . 27% Federal funds should not be used to finance abortions. . . 12% Oppose abortion under all circumstances. . . 6% Favor constitutional amendment prohibiting abortions. . . 6% Each state should be able to pass its own laws on abortion. . . 5% Other attitudes. . . 4% No opinion. . . 2%