Dannemeyer Will Challenge Seymour for U.S. Senate Seat in ‘92, Sources Say

Rep. William E. Dannemeyer, the combative Orange County congressman whose career has been built on crusades against abortion and homosexual rights, has decided to oppose U.S. Sen.-designate John Seymour in the 1992 Republican primary, sources said.

Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton), who was first elected to the House in 1978 from the 39th Congressional District, is planning to announce the decision early next week, sources said.

To challenge Seymour, Dannemeyer must give up his House seat, according to a spokeswoman for the California secretary of state.

“He’s ready to move up, or move out,” said a source familiar with Dannemeyer’s intentions.

Neither Dannemeyer nor Seymour was available for comment.

In Fullerton, Dannemeyer spokesman Brett Barbre said: “We’re certainly not going to confirm anything, or deny anything, right now.”

Dannemeyer already has told representatives of conservative groups, such as the California Republican Assembly and the state branch of Young Americans for Freedom, that he will mount the challenge, sources familiar with the discussions said.

“He has made calls. He’s going for it,” one source said.

Although Dannemeyer regularly wins contests in his own district with more than 60% of the vote, his prospects for success in a statewide race against Seymour are considered uncertain.

Dannemeyer served in the state Assembly in the 1960s, beginning his Assembly career as a Democrat and later switching to the Republican Party.

Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), who had been considering his own primary challenge to Seymour, said he has decided to focus instead on a possible bid for the other California Senate seat up for grabs in 1992. That seat is being vacated by retiring Sen. Alan Cranston. Dannemeyer’s expected announcement against Seymour “kind of preempts the field,” Dornan added.

Many conservative Republicans were upset with Wilson’s choice of Seymour as his successor, largely because Seymour, who lost a bid for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor last year, had reversed his stand against abortion.