Wilson Disappoints Conservatives : Politics: They believe the gubernatorial candidate is ignoring them, and they hint that he does so at his own peril.

It didn’t look that way, but Assemblyman Gil Ferguson was making a political statement as he sat bare-chested in his orange and green swim shorts by the side of the pool Saturday.

He was demonstrating his disappointment in Republican gubernatorial candidate Pete Wilson, who was speaking at the time to delegates attending the state GOP convention here this weekend.

“I don’t need to go,” said the ex-Marine from Newport Beach. “I’ve got something better to do.”

Orange County conservatives such as Ferguson are concerned about Wilson. He is on the opposite side of some of their most heartfelt issues, most notably by his support of abortion rights. But even worse, they complain, he is ignoring them.

In his race for governor against Democrat Dianne Feinstein, Wilson has aimed much of his effort at the center of the political spectrum, trying to avoid Republican defections and to steal Democratic votes. As a result, some conservative leaders say they are being taken for granted.

“Pete is not with us on a lot of issues and we’ve accepted that,” said Angela (Bay) Buchanan, a Republican from Irvine who lost her bid for state treasurer in the recent June primary. “But he needs to let us know that he is aware of our concerns. We need to know that he’s accessible.”

Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) and other conservative Republican leaders, including Rep. William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton), requested a meeting with Wilson on Saturday to discuss their differences. But Wilson campaign manager Otto Bos said the senator was too busy and that the request was not made until Friday.

Bos said Wilson would be “glad to meet with them” at a different time.

He also downplayed any discontent among Republicans. He said polls show that conservatives warmly embrace Wilson and he disagreed that there was widespread disunity within the party.

“We need to quit looking inward and to look outward,” he said.

State Republican Party Chairman Frank Visco also insisted that “conservatives are coming out in droves. We are going to do all we can to see that they get out and vote,” he said.

Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) agreed that “so far, everything is fine.” But Dornan said there is growing discontent among conservative leaders and that unless the concerns are heard, it will filter down to rank-and-file conservative voters.

Dornan and the others also said they will support Wilson throughout the campaign and would not launch an intra-party attack. But they said the danger is that there could be a lack of enthusiasm among conservative voters that would cause some to stay home on Election Day.

“He simply must meet with those guys,” Dornan said in a telephone interview. “So far, everything is fine. But if there is not a hard and fast (meeting) date by late July or early August, things are going to start to unravel.”

Probably the most important issue to the conservative wing of the party is abortion, and Wilson supports abortion rights. But they are also concerned about his support for environmental issues that create regulation for businesses.

And they are concerned about his position on such issues as gun control, taxes and gay rights.

“He just needs to make some assurances and let us know that we will not be forgotten,” Dornan said.

“My feeling is that conservatives are with him and with any kind of response from Pete, they will vote for him,” Buchanan said. “But he can’t just do nothing.”