Dannemeyer to Start Quest for U.S. Senate

Rep. William E. Dannemeyer, in a series of press conferences across the state today, will formally begin a quest for the U.S. Senate which promises to be a conservative crusade against an Orange County colleague and his brand of middle-of-the-road Republicanism.

One of the nation’s most conservative congressmen, the 61-year-old Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) said he plans to paint incumbent Republican Sen. John Seymour, 53, as a waffling politician who once opposed but now supports abortion rights, homosexual activism and restrictions on offshore oil exploration. In a weekend interview, Dannemeyer also said he will attack Seymour in the GOP primary campaign as a senator who refuses to rule out future federal tax increases.

The congressman is scheduled to formally announce his candidacy today during stops in Redding, Sacramento, Fresno and Burbank. Seymour, a former real estate investor and state senator from Anaheim, generally is regarded as a moderate. He has called himself a “compassionate conservative.” He was appointed to the Senate in January to fill the unexpired term of Pete Wilson, who was elected governor in November.

“Seymour started out in political life as pro-life, now he’s pro-abortion,” Dannemeyer said. “He started out as pro-heterosexual, he’s now pro-homosexual. He started out as supportive of expanding offshore (oil) drilling, he’s now opposed to that. A good question arises, what does this guy believe?”

Seymour, in California during a congressional recess, was not immediately available for comment. However, in the past he has defended his change of heart on the abortion issue, declaring, “It’s OK to be pro-choice and be a conservative.” He also has pointed out that former Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, who lost the 1964 presidential election to Lyndon B. Johnson largely because he was considered too right-wing, also favors abortion rights. At a press conference shortly after his appointment, Seymour told reporters, “I think once the conservatives get to know John Seymour and are clear where he stands on the issues, they’ll be OK.” Seymour lost his only attempt at statewide office last June, when he was defeated in bid for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor by state Sen. Marian Bergeson, even though he substantially outspent her.

Whoever wins the Republican primary is likely to face stiff opposition from Democrats. Former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, who barely lost to Wilson in the gubernatorial race, already has filed for the seat, and other prominent Democrats are said to be interested. Although Dannemeyer routinely wins by overwhelming margins in his 39th Congressional District in north-central Orange County, his chances in a statewide race are pegged as slim by many political observers, who see him as far to the right of most Californians. In his 12 years in Congress, Dannemeyer’s attacks on homosexual activists, environmentalists and “moral relativists” have earned him a reputation as one of the most outspoken, if not outrageous, members of the House of Representatives. Last June, for example, days before Nelson Mandela was to address a joint session of Congress, Dannemeyer strongly criticized the anti-apartheid crusader and deputy president of the African National Congress as pro-communist, and compared him to Willie Horton, the Massachusetts murderer whose parole became an issue in the 1988 presidential campaign.

Despite his often controversial stands, Dannemeyer said he believes he is electable and that his message of fiscal restraint and limited government regulation will resonate with the state’s voters. He said, however, that he has not yet done any polling. “If a majority of members of Congress in the fiscal area had a voting record like mine, America would have a balanced budget, and we would get there as a result of restraining federal spending, rather than raising anybody’s taxes,” Dannemeyer said.

Under California law, Dannemeyer must give up his House seat in order to run for the Senate.

Dannemeyer’s strategy in the primary rests largely on keeping other conservatives out of the race, a goal which may be easier to attain because both California Senate seats are up for grabs in 1992. Sen. Alan Cranston, a Democrat, is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer has announced he will not seek reelection. Dannemeyer said one potential challenger, Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), already has endorsed Dannemeyer’s bid to unseat Seymour. Dornan has said he is considering a run for the Cranston seat. Dannemeyer also said he has picked up endorsements from two other conservative congressmen, Reps. Duncan L. Hunter (R-San Diego) and John T. Doolittle (R-Stockton).

In addition, Dannemeyer said he is being backed by such right-wing stalwarts as former Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, evangelist and one-time presidential candidate Pat Robertson, and Phyllis Schlafly. “They’re not Californians,” Dannemeyer said, “but they have organizations in California that will be helpful.” Other conservatives said to be considering a primary challenge to Seymour are William B. Allen, former chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and television commentator Bruce Herschensohn.

Even though Wilson’s term is not up until 1994, California law requires Seymour to run in the first election after his appointment. If he wins, he must run again in 1994 for a full six-year term. Dannemeyer says he hopes to raise at least $20 million for the Senate campaign, at least a quarter of which would be spent on the primary. He has hired a Washington direct-mail firm that has done work for Ronald Reagan and Jesse Helms to raise money from conservative contributors across the country, and has established a telephone solicitation operation in Fullerton.

Dannemeyer said he is “having discussions” with a conservative political consultant whom he would not name. He has not yet named a campaign manager.