CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS: THE AD CAMPAIGN

The race: Lieutenant governor.

Whose ad? Republican candidate Marian Bergeson, a state senator from Newport Beach.

Bergeson’s 30-second commercial is the first to air in this campaign, which has been all but ignored by California voters, who have focused on the governor’s race. The spot is to run in Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento beginning today. The campaign is to cost about $500,000. Bergeson is running against state Sen. John Seymour of Anaheim. The winner of the primary will face Lt. Gov. Leo T. McCarthy in the general election.

Elements of the ad, with an analysis by Times staff writer Daniel M. Weintraub:

Ad: “The California Journal calls her the Republican senator with the highest integrity.”

Analysis: The ranking is from a survey of lawmakers, lobbyists, legislative staff and reporters by the Journal, a monthly magazine that reports on state government and politics. Bergeson was ranked fourth overall in integrity behind three Democrats, while Seymour placed 18th overall and ninth among the 15 Republicans. The Journal’s editor conceded that the results might not be entirely reliable because only 220 surveys were returned of 1,570 distributed.

Ad: “She’s a tough crusader against crime, air pollution and offshore oil drilling.”

Analysis: Before this campaign, Bergeson never was known as a leader on any of these issues, although as a coastal legislator she has consistently opposed offshore oil drilling. Bergeson bases her air pollution performance on her vote in favor of 1988 legislation to strengthen the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s ability to control emissions in Southern California. Seymour’s campaign points out that Bergeson voted against a more comprehensive anti-smog measure and Seymour describes the 1988 bill as “clean-up legislation.”

Ad: “She is a statewide leader for quality education and better schools.”

Analysis: A former schoolteacher and school board member, Bergeson has long been recognized as a leader in the field. She has broken ranks with fellow Republicans to support increased school funding and was a member of a two-house conference committee that hammered out a major school reform bill in 1983.

Ad: Bergeson is a “Republican with principle.”

Analysis: This line is intended to remind voters that Bergeson has attacked Seymour for “flip-flopping” on abortion rights. Bergeson is staunchly anti-abortion. Seymour, however, was opposed to abortion but now supports a woman’s right to choose and has said he will vote to use taxpayers’ funds to pay for abortions for poor women. Bergeson alleges that Seymour changed his position after seeing polls that showed an abortion-rights tilt in the electorate following the U.S. Supreme Court decision last July giving states more power to regulate abortion. Seymour maintains that he made his decision based on new information and without regard to polls or election results.