Dannemeyer Will Oppose Seymour for Senate Seat

Rep. William E. Dannemeyer, one of the nation’s most conservative members of Congress, said he will formally open his quest today for the U.S. Senate seat held by fellow Republican John Seymour.

His official announcement--which Dannemeyer said will be made at press conferences today in Redding, Sacramento, Fresno and Burbank--amounts to an intraparty declaration of war against Seymour and sets up a 1992 contest between the conservative and moderate wings of the state Republican Party.

Seymour, usually acknowledged as a moderate, was appointed to the Senate in January by Gov. Pete Wilson, who had held the seat from 1982 until he became governor. While the seat is normally up for election in 1994, the law requires that an appointee run for election in the first state balloting after the appointment. The seat will be contested again in 1994.

Next year’s political cycle is bound to be explosive in California. In addition to the Seymour seat, voters will determine who will replace veteran Democrat Alan Cranston, who has said he will not run for a fifth Senate term.

Dannemeyer, 61, said in an interview that he intends to power his campaign with the same conservative blasts that have marked his 12 years in Congress. He said he would charge Seymour with waffling on abortion rights, which Seymour once opposed and now supports, and on offshore oil drilling, which Seymour once supported and now opposes.

“A good question arises, what does this guy believe?” said Dannemeyer, of Fullerton.

The 53-year-old Seymour, a former state senator from Anaheim, was not available for comment Sunday but in the past has said his changes of heart followed much reflection. As shown by a number of polls, Seymour’s positions put him in the mainstream of California voters, while Dannemeyer’s views are far more conservative than those of most Californians.

“I think once the conservatives get to know John Seymour and are clear where he stands on the issues, they’ll be OK,” Seymour told reporters at a press conference after his appointment.

Dannemeyer’s decision to challenge Seymour in the Republican primary will cost him his seat in Congress--since he cannot run concurrently for both positions--and has already inspired much criticism among Republicans.

“I don’t think it will be particularly well-received,” said state Republican Party Chairman Frank Visco, who suggested that Dannemeyer was too conservative to win election.

Among California Republicans, few believe Dannemeyer will succeed in the primary, but there were differing opinions as to the effect his challenge might have on Seymour’s chances to hold the seat. The winner in the Republican primary likely will face strong Democratic opposition--former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, who narrowly lost the governorship to Wilson, has announced she will challenge Seymour, and others are considering it.

The important variable is likely to be money--a well-financed Dannemeyer campaign could pose problems for Seymour, Republicans suggest. But Dannemeyer has less experience than Seymour in campaign fund raising and many doubt he will succeed in meeting his $20-million goal.

Without the money to press his case, Dannemeyer could in effect help Seymour define himself as a moderate, Republicans say.

“If he (Seymour) plays his cards well, Dannemeyer could be a good political foil for him,” said one highly placed Republican who declined to speak for attribution.

Dannemeyer said he is being backed by such right-wing stalwarts as former Lt. Col. Oliver North, 1988 presidential candidate Pat Robertson and Phyllis Schlafly. “They’re not Californians,” Dannemeyer said, “but they have organizations in California that will be helpful.”