Seymour-Bergeson Primary Race Is Tight, but McCarthy Outpaces Both for Lt. Gov.

The two candidates for lieutenant governor in the Republican primary--state Sens. John Seymour and Marian Bergeson of Orange County--are largely unknown and trail incumbent Leo McCarthy, a Democrat, by wide margins, according to The Times poll.

With the June, 1990, primary eight months away, Bergeson (Newport Beach) and Seymour (Anaheim) seem to be at statistically equal positions.

In head-to-head match-ups with McCarthy, Bergeson trailed the incumbent 35% to 16% among registered voters, and Seymour was behind 32% to 18%. The poll’s margin of error for responses from registered voters--1,056 of the 1,393 adults surveyed--is 4%. The poll indicates, then, that the two Republicans are virtually in a dead heat.

The poll also indicates, however, that the race is still up for grabs, as about 50% of the registered voters surveyed said they had no opinion about any of the three candidates. Ninety percent of the registered Republicans surveyed said they had no opinion about a match-up between Seymour and Bergeson. Among those who had opinions, Seymour had a slight edge--6% to 4%--over Bergeson.

Findings indicating a tight contest are no surprise to those in Orange County who know the two legislators. Both are considered among the county’s most respected and well-liked politicians. Their race for the nomination is presenting a dilemma for the county’s Republican faithful.

The two candidates also appear to be about equally matched in campaign funds. Financial disclosure statements filed in August show that in the first six months of 1989, Seymour had raised $353,646, just $13,400 more than Bergeson.

Seymour, 51, is a former mayor of Anaheim and a former owner of a real estate business. He was elected to the state Senate in 1982.

Bergeson, 61, is a former educator and school board member. She was elected to the Assembly in 1978 and to the state Senate in 1984.

The Bergeson-Seymour race is expected to be watched especially closely because of the candidates’ stands on abortion. Seymour made a surprise announcement last month that he had reversed his position on abortion and is now pro-choice. He also said that he supports public funding of abortions for poor women.

Bergeson opposes abortion.

The Times Poll conducted this month found that abortion is still a politically volatile issue, but also that clear majorities of both Republicans and Democrats believe that women should have the right to abortion.

The poll’s indication of a tight contest between the two Republicans is consistent with the findings of a California Poll conducted by Mervin Field and released in August. That poll also found Seymour to have a slight edge over Bergeson, that both were largely unknown, and that either would finish far behind McCarthy.

According to the Field poll, Seymour was known to 15% of the electorate, compared to 12% for Bergson. Seventy-six percent of the respondents knew of McCarthy. Ten percent of the respondents said they had a favorable opinion of Seymour, compared to 9% for Bergson. Forty-four percent said they had a favorable opinion of McCarthy.