Bentley Facing a Changed Race Against Killea : Politics: Bishop’s action has left GOP candidate’s campaign adrift in a sea of media attention given her rival. But Bentley stays her course in the normally Republican district.

One week ago, GOP Assemblywoman Carol Bentley was sailing comfortably along in her special state Senate campaign--a race that, while undeniably a tough one against a veteran campaigner, still was widely viewed as hers to lose in the heavily Republican 39th District.

And then, in the words of her consultant, David Lewis: “The Lord struck.”

For the past week, Bentley has watched with a mixture of amazement, confusion and chagrin as her opponent, Democratic Assemblywoman Lucy Killea, became a national media star after San Diego Catholic Bishop Leo T. Maher’s decision to deny her Communion because of her pro-choice stand on abortion.

In the process, the freshman legislator from El Cajon has been transformed from Carol Bentley, front-runner, to Carol Bentley, the other candidate in that campaign with the flap between Lucy Killea and the bishop.

“When you see your opponent’s picture on Page 1 every day, and she’s on the TV news every night for a week at this stage in a campaign . . . it is a little unsettling,” Bentley conceded. “But I’m also the kind of person who rolls with things. I try to look at what’s happening and put it in perspective.”

Through it all, Bentley has doggedly stuck to her original plan in the special Dec. 5 race--chipping away at Killea’s superior name recognition by building up her own, emphasizing the candidates’ partisan differences in a district where that distinction clearly benefits her, and trying to paint the four-term Democrat as a liberal with close ties to Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco).

While Killea spent Monday in New York City making nationwide television appearances on “CBS This Morning” and the Phil Donahue show, Bentley gave five speeches throughout the sprawling district, which covers most of eastern San Diego County, stretching from Ocean Beach to Imperial County and reaching north to the Escondido city line and Ramona.

And, though she sounds a bit as if she is trying to convince herself, Bentley--who, citing schedule conflicts, declined a request to appear on the Donahue show with Killea--argues that her time Monday was better spent.

“I was talking to people who are going to vote Dec. 5,” Bentley said. “Personally, I don’t care about my nationwide name ID--I care about what it is in the 39th District. I’m not sure what it really does for Lucy. If she were an unknown, I think it would have been much more important for her.”

No one realizes better than Bentley, however, that Maher’s action--viewed alternately as deserved punishment of one who flaunted Catholic orthodoxy through her pro-choice TV ads and as an unwelcome church intrusion in politics--has dramatically altered the dynamics of the race for the seat that Republican Larry Stirling vacated last month to accept a Municipal Court judgeship.

Although the consensus among political leaders is that the episode has significantly enhanced Killea’s prospects, many also caution against interpreting Maher’s sanction as a politically mortal blow to Bentley.

Combined with uncertainty over precisely how the Maher-Killea dispute will affect the race’s outcome, the district’s daunting 49%-38% Republican registration edge dictates against dismissing Bentley under any circumstances before Election Day.

Indeed, notwithstanding the nationwide furor touched off by Maher and the ensuing extensive, sympathetic news coverage that Killea received, the single most salient feature of the campaign may well be that, as Bentley put it succinctly: “This is still a Republican district, and I’m the Republican candidate.”

That, at least, is Bentley’s hope--a statistical comfort that she clung to as she saw the campaign knocked off its axis, all the while knowing that there was very little she could do about it.

Typically, when a closely contested political campaign ends, the candidates can reflect back upon it and, with the benefit of hindsight, identify the strategically shrewd moves or missteps that shaped the outcome.

In the 39th District race, however, both candidates concede that Maher’s sanction against Killea introduced a potent outside force that sent the campaign careening off in wildly unpredictable directions largely beyond the control of its two principals.

“The bishop certainly did take the campaign out of our hands,” Bentley said.

“You find yourself reacting to events more than controlling them,” consultant Lewis added. “It’s not so much a feeling of helplessness as it is seeing things go on in a campaign that you can’t control, which is a situation no political consultant would want.”

Lewis acknowledges some frustration, however, over Killea’s extended stay in the media spotlight--and, more specifically, to the way in which most recent news stories seemed to mention Bentley almost as an afterthought. Still, he understands why the events of the past week have eclipsed his own candidate.

“This really is Lucy’s ball to play--it’s between her and the bishop,” Lewis explained. “We’re pretty much on the sidelines until it plays itself out, which I think it probably will do over the Thanksgiving weekend.”

After a brief pause, Lewis chuckled wryly and added: “Of course, even as I tell you that now, I know that CBS News is already planning to relive it all next week.”

Regardless, the interpretation of choice within the Bentley campaign is that, after all is said and done, Maher’s action could have only a limited impact on the race. Under that theory, most voters are more interested in issues such as drugs, crime and education than abortion, and will judge the candidates, not on one issue--even one as critical as abortion--but rather on the basis of overall philosophical compatibility.

A corollary to that argument is that most people already have an opinion on abortion, and are unlikely to change positions because of the recent controversy. Finally, Bentley’s backers contend that the debate has enabled her to better explain her own position, which is one of opposition to abortion except in cases of rape, incest or in which the mother’s life is endangered. Unlike President Bush, Bentley supports public funding for abortions under those limited circumstances.

Bentley sees one other potential up side in Killea’s new-found celebrity--elimination of any complacency that might have existed among her own supporters. Just as the controversy has drawn dollars and support to Killea, it has begun having the same effect on Bentley’s campaign, she said.

“Before, a lot of people felt this was such a strong Republican district that I probably didn’t need their help,” Bentley said. “After the last week, I’m not worried about anyone still feeling that way.”

Any mishandling by Killea’s campaign of the strategic opportunities and challenges created by Maher’s action also could undermine whatever benefits have accrued to her over the past week. Not wanting to be perceived as overly eager to capitalize on the event, Killea’s aides have carefully and effectively managed their response to date.

However, if they slip, there is no doubt that Lewis and his partner, Jim Johnston--well known for their mastery of political hardball--would be quick to pounce.

“If there’s any misstep where they go over the line, we’ll be waiting for them on the other side,” Lewis said.

During the race’s closing two weeks, Bentley hopes to refocus voters’ attention on the candidates’ partisan and philosophical differences, and that the Maher controversy comes to be seen as “simply one of several factors” in the campaign.

However, even Bentley acknowledges that the key question may well concern which side’s partisans have been more motivated by the events of the past week. And that is one question, she concedes, that may answer itself regardless of what she does.

“Do I think what’s happened is unfair? Not really,” Bentley said. “If disaster strikes, I may feel that way on Dec. 6. But, for now, I just think that, while there’s always something unique about every campaign, this one has been absolutely incredible.”