Rohrabacher, Dornan Brace for Turf War

Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) said Sunday that he plans to run for reelection in a proposed district surrounding Huntington Beach, setting up a possible GOP primary with fellow conservative Rep. Dana Rohrabacher.

Dornan’s announcement is also likely to set off a scramble to fill the only congressional district seat in Orange County that has a majority of Democratic voters as well as a population that is nearly half Latino. The move could be a political nightmare for Republican leaders who would have to fight to retain the Garden Grove seat as well as finance a primary between two incumbents that would probably cost more than $1 million.

In an interview from his Washington office Sunday, Dornan said he hopes Rohrabacher (R-Long Beach) will defer to his seniority in the House and seek election in a proposed South Bay district that overlaps his current territory.

“He has been there three (years), and I’ve been on the Hill 16 years,” Dornan said. “We’ve got laws of physics at work here. A guy in his third year doesn’t say (no) to a 16-year member.”

“If he were to stay in a head-on (primary) with me, I think he would be voluntarily ending his congressional career,” Dornan said. “I just don’t see him doing that.”

Rohrabacher said he talked at length with Dornan on Sunday, and the two agreed to meet in Washington this week to discuss alternatives to a primary battle. But Rohrabacher also said he is committed to running in the 45th Congressional District based in Huntington Beach.

“We are both friends and conservative allies, and we want to do everything possible to make sure we are on the same side of every fight,” Rohrabacher said. “Every rational Republican hopes that a primary fight can be averted (but) I am absolutely committed--this is my district.

“He would certainly be a formidable opponent if that’s what he decided to do,” Rohrabacher added. “But I would also be a formidable opponent, and why should we waste Republican money fighting each other?”

Rohrabacher aide Tony Rudy added, “It’s like handing money to the Democrats.”

The proposed 45th District divides Newport Beach and stretches north to the Los Angeles County line. It is solidly Republican and includes portions of both Dornan’s and Rohrabacher’s current districts, although neither lawmaker lives within its boundaries.

The new reapportionment maps for California, which include the Congressional districts, were released earlier this month by a group of special masters appointed by the state Supreme Court. The special masters are scheduled to hear testimony on the proposed maps and make a final decision late next month.

Many local officials had expected Dornan to run in the proposed 46th Congressional District, which includes Santa Ana, Anaheim and Garden Grove, where he lives. The district is predominantly Democratic, and about half of its population is Latino.

Orange County Supervisors Roger R. Stanton and Gaddi H. Vasquez, both Republicans, have been mentioned as possible candidates if a vacant congressional seat became available. But Sunday, Stanton said he is not interested in this opportunity.

“I’ll be running for reelection for the Board of Supervisors and will be supporting Bob Dornan in the 45th and hope at some time in the future to succeed Bob Dornan in the 45th . . . when Bob moves on.”

Stanton said he was not surprised at Dornan’s announcement, after having discussed the matter with him recently.

Vasquez said, however, that he was surprised by Dornan’s decision.

“Tomorrow perhaps we’ll do an assessment of things,” Vasquez said Sunday. “I was not anticipating this type of announcement. It comes as a surprise.”

In the telephone interview from Washington, Dornan said he has been contacting city council members in the redrawn 45th district and has received “nothing but encouragements and endorsements.” He said he will formally announce his plan next Saturday in Huntington Beach, the largest city in the new district.

According to Dornan, Rohrabacher would have “an absolutely safe Republican seat” if he agrees to run in the proposed 36th district representing the South Bay area of Los Angeles County. Rohrabacher should be “thrilled” to have a “safe Republican seat anchored in Palos Verdes where he was raised and went to high school,” Dornan said.

But since Rohrabacher’s announcement that he would run in Orange County, several other potential candidates, including Dornan’s former chief of staff, Brian Bennett, have indicated that they will seek the 36th District seat.

“When you look at the 45th District, it’s really an extension of my district,” said Dornan, explaining his decision.

“Dana has fallen in love with Orange County with just a toehold in Orange County,” Dornan said. “But we can’t always have the girl we want.”

Dornan said his decision had nothing to do with being worried about reelection in the heavily Latino and Democratic 46th district. In the last two elections, Dornan said, he received 58.5% and 60% of the vote in a district that had only a 46% Republican registration.

Times staff writer Dave Lesher contributed to this report.