Texas Democrats End Lurid Campaign : Politics: Ann Richards or Jim Mattox will be the gubernatorial nominee after today’s runoff. It caps possibly the dirtiest race in state history.

For the last month, Texans have witnessed what is widely regarded as the dirtiest campaign in the state’s history. In Texas, that means it has been sordid indeed.

At stake in the runoff election today is the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Most recently, the two contenders--state Treasurer Ann Richards and state Atty. Gen. Jim Mattox--have dealt in accusations of illegal drug use, bribery and improper business dealings.

When George Christian, Lyndon B. Johnson’s former press secretary and now an Austin-based political consultant, was going through a receiving line in Washington the other day, First Lady Barbara Bush asked him if he had ever seen a worse campaign.

“No, I’ve never seen one as bad as this,” Christian recalled replying.

State Lands Commissioner Garry Mauro said much the same thing Monday: “What a terrible excuse for a campaign.”

Mattox, who has a history of going for his opponent’s jugular, is generally regarded as the candidate who started the campaign on its downward spiral, although Richards quickly responded once the attacks appeared to be working.

After the March 10 primary, in which Richards and Mattox received 39% and 37% of the vote, respectively, Mattox began challenging Richards to divulge what illegal drugs she has used.

In one recent television ad, Mattox insinuates, without proof, that Richards was a cocaine addict when she was a county commissioner.

“Did she use marijuana? Or something worse, like cocaine?” asks the ad. “Not as a college kid, but as a 47-year-old elected official sworn to uphold the law.”

Richards, a recovering alcoholic, has refused to discuss the matter, except to say that she has not used any “mood-altering chemicals” in the last 10 years.

She retaliated by running campaign ads pointing to Mattox’s 1983 indictment on bribery charges, without including the fact that he was acquitted. She also questioned Mattox’s business dealings, as well as loans received, but without offering proof that anything was amiss.

Few expected her to stay above the fray. So scathing was her attack on former Gov. Mark White before the March primary election that he vowed never to support her and compared her to a Nazi. “What Ann Richards has done would make Himmler blush,” said White, referring to Gestapo leader Heinrich Himmler.

The heat has been turned up dramatically in the last several days after reports surfaced in the media that Mattox had smoked marijuana while a state representative in the early ‘70s. Mattox vehemently denied the reports and accused the Richards camp of Watergate-style “dirty tricks” in spreading stories of drug use.

On Sunday, he said that Richards had been treated for cocaine addiction 10 years ago. Richards responded by calling Mattox a “desperate man.”

At the same time, the race has been basically devoid of any substantive issues. All this, said Christian, has caused him to watch in “horrified fascination.”

A poll published Sunday in the Houston Chronicle placed Richards six points ahead of Mattox, with a four-point margin of error.

Despite the mean-spirited atmosphere to the race, there is a lot riding on the Texas gubernatorial election, both on a state and national level. Texas will be a major player in reapportionment after the 1990 census because the state is expected to score gains in the number of congressional seats. The party that holds the governor’s office will be able to have a major influence on how the congressional districts are apportioned.

Whoever wins in today’s voting will still have a considerable task ahead in defeating Republican businessman Clayton Williams. Williams would have been a prohibitive favorite over either Richards or Mattox, but he told a tasteless joke that has opened the door a bit for the eventual Democratic nominee. Williams said ugly weather is like rape--”if it’s inevitable, just relax and enjoy it.” He later said his remark was “insensitive.”