Bono Swings Into Dana Point to State His Point : Politics: The candidate for U.S. Senate tries to garner support at a luncheon attended by a group of GOP women.

Palm Springs Mayor Sonny Bono pulled his U.S. Senate campaign into this coastal community Wednesday, voicing what he calls a “plain talk, common sense” brand of politics to a group of Republican women.

Bono, 57, a Republican candidate for the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Alan Cranston, regaled the 50 women at a Dana Point Harbor luncheon with a mix of serious political talk and self-deprecating humor.

Instead of any mention of ex-wife Cher or show business, Bono pointed to his record during four years as mayor of Palm Springs and his underdog reputation in an effort to win over the Capistrano Valley Republican Women’s Federation.

“The press said I’m not qualified to run for the Senate. I say, ‘You’re right, I’ve never been qualified for anything I’ve been successful at,’ ” said Bono, who has 10 gold records to his credit.

Bono, looking a little older and a little grayer than his television years, said he is happy to not be part of the political Establishment.

“I’m not a politician. Nobody’s backed me,” Bono told the group. “I’m just an American who’s trying to change things. It’s time for regular people to run for Congress.”

During a 45-minute speech before the group, Bono laid out an agenda that is strong on defense and unabashedly law-and-order--but with a twist. Bono, a Catholic, advocates abortion rights.

“I think it’s a woman’s choice, it’s her body,” Bono said. “The government should stay out of it.”

Otherwise, his views were standard Republican fare, which went over well in front of the audience from Republican-dominated South County:

* On defense: He’s for maintaining the Pentagon budget status quo and backing the Strategic Defense Initiative, the Reagan-era plan also known as “Star Wars.” “I don’t think we should be relaxing that much . . . I’m proud of the way we went over there (in the Gulf War) and kicked (Saddam Hussein) in the tail.”

* On his pro-death penalty views: “I’m even bothered by the governor listening to this clemency hearing.”

* On opposing Cranston’s desert protection bill pending in the U.S. Senate: “Everybody’s doing fine. The turtles are doing fine. The lizards are doing fine. It’s not broke so we have to go and try to fix it.”

* On one of his opponents in the Republican primary, U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell (R-Palo Alto): “He’s the biggest liberal in Congress.”

Bono’s only deviation from the conservative agenda was his fleeting expression of admiration for former governor Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. Bono sees a lot of his own message in Brown’s ragtag campaign.

“Jerry Brown’s doing OK because he’s a maverick,” Bono said. “He’s a Democrat and a strange fellow, but he’s sounding good right now.”

Most of the audience seemed to think Bono was the one who sounded good. They interrupted his speech several times with applause and sent him off with a rousing ovation.

“I didn’t realize he was so knowledgeable,” said Lois McKeon of San Juan Capistrano. “I like his sincerity.”

Said Debbie Marolf of San Juan Capistrano: “I’ve been humming ‘I Got You Babe’ all morning. . . . People are really excited to see him. They either like him or they’re not sure what to think.”