CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS / CONGRESS : No Surprises in Voting: Incumbents Win Easily

A national push to “throw the rascals out” didn’t materialize in Southeast-area congressional races this year.

Seven incumbents, some of them fending off spirited attacks by challengers, won reelection by solid margins in Tuesday’s election.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a conservative Long Beach Republican, won handily despite being stung in recent weeks by allegations that he used drugs as a youth and by the defeat in Congress of his proposal to withhold federal funding for art he considers obscene. Rohrabacher defeated political science instructor Guy Kimbrough in District 42, which stretches from Huntington Beach to Torrance. Rohrabacher also defeated Kimbrough two years ago.

“I’ve been a very outspoken congressman,” Rohrabacher said. “If I can do that and still have a solid victory, it’s a signal from the voters to our elected leaders that they should come out with strong stands.”

Four Democratic incumbents and two other Republican lawmakers easily prevailed in Southeast-area congressional races over an array of opponents.

The only non-incumbent elected was Maxine Waters, a veteran Democratic assemblywoman who recorded a lopsided victory in District 29 to succeed the retiring Rep. Augustus F. Hawkins (D-Los Angeles). Hawkins has occupied the seat in the heavily Democratic district since 1962. The district covers South-Central Los Angeles, South Gate, Huntington Park and part of Downey.

Rohrabacher’s race against Democratic challenger Kimbrough heated up following the allegations of drug use, which first appeared in an article in New Republic magazine. But on Tuesday the congressman said the drug issue wasn’t a factor because “it was so long ago.”

He called the controversial debate over funding for the National Endowment for the Arts a “wash” in the election. “It alienated some wealthy Republicans who go to the symphony,” Rohrabacher said, “but it gave me support from some of the blue-collar Democrats.”

In his second term in Congress, he said, he plans to concentrate on expanding the opportunities for employee ownership of companies in the United States and developing a plane that will take off from a runway and fly into space.

“Whichever nation controls that technology will dominate the world,” he said.

Veteran Rep. Glenn M. Anderson (D-San Pedro) also rolled up a solid victory, despite being accused by his challenger of being a once-vigorous legislator who no longer had the energy to do the job after serving 11 terms.

“This was a little tougher election, especially for incumbents,” said Anderson, 77, whose victory margin was a bit smaller than two years ago. “Normally when we have elections we don’t have several hundred thousand troops someplace where there might be a war. People are unhappy about that and there was lots of press about throwing the rascals out.”

Anderson, who defeated Republican Sanford Kahn, said he didn’t believe voters were swayed by the attack on the veteran lawmaker’s ability to do the job. “I feel I’m much better now than I was 10 years ago,” Anderson said. “I know more about the problems.”

District 32 covers San Pedro, Harbor City, Wilmington, Lakewood and parts of Long Beach and Downey.

At a victory celebration at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, Waters, 52, told a crowd of about 300 cheering supporters that she was going to Congress to continue fighting for the poor and disadvantaged as she had done during her 14 years in the state Assembly.

“I’m going to do what I’ve always done,” she said. “I’m going to be a voice for the people who sent me.”

One of her first priorities, she said, will be passing a civil rights measure. President Bush recently vetoed the Civil Rights Acts of 1990 and the move to override his veto failed by one vote.

“I plan to talk with all of (the congressmen) and let them know that we’re not going away on this issue of civil rights,” Waters said. “I’m going to fight and fight and fight to ensure that we pass a civil rights bill.”

Waters’ Republican opponent, Bill DeWitt, a former South Gate councilman, said he had no illusions about winning in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans 7 to 1. “I went into it with my eyes open,” he said. “I knew the demographics and statistics. I ran because there was an opening and no Republican had filed. I had fun.”

Other Democratic winners included Matthew G. Martinez of Monterey Park, who defeated businessman Reuben D. Franco in District 30; Mervyn M. Dymally of Compton, who won handily over former Long Beach councilwoman Eunice N. Sato in District 31, and Esteban E. Torres of La Puente, who easily fended off a challenge by John Eastman, an official with a Newport Beach land investment company.

On the Republican side, David Dreier of La Verne defeated Georgia Houston Webb, a college admissions official, in District 33, and in District 38, Republican Robert K. Dornan of Garden Grove outdistanced Barbara Jackson, public affairs director for Planned Parenthood in Santa Ana. Though her name remained on the ballot, Jackson had dropped out of the race early and did not campaign.

Times staff writers Eric Bailey, Howard Blume, George Hatch and Lee Harris contributed to this story.