CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS / U.S. SENATE : Seymour Makes a Pitch to Women Voters

Flanked by 50 female supporters, Republican Sen. John Seymour came to Democrat Dianne Feinstein’s home turf Tuesday to challenge her for a critical constituency in their 1992 Senate election--the women’s vote.

Although he is the incumbent--by appointment--Seymour cast himself as the underdog in challenging the former San Francisco mayor to debate him anytime, anyplace.

It was part of his strategy to offset any advantage Feinstein might enjoy with what Seymour called “this gender tactic.”

“The women of California are going to make their minds up when they go to the polls not based upon gender, but based upon (a candidate’s) qualifications and where they stand on the issues,” Seymour said.

Although this is supposed to be the summer doldrums for politics, the gender issue was sharply joined Tuesday in the contest for the final two years of the Senate seat won in 1988 by Republican Pete Wilson and vacated by him after he won the 1990 gubernatorial race.

Feinstein was flying east for a round of appearances and fund-raising events in advance of the Democratic National Convention in New York. But an aide said the campaign accepted the debate challenge. Loretta Lynch, Feinstein’s deputy campaign manager for issues, noted that both candidates already are booked to appear before the California Broadcasters Assn. in Santa Monica July 20.

As for the gender question, Lynch said it is Seymour who is making it an issue.

“She’s more qualified. She’s more in touch with Californians. She has offered more detailed solutions,” Lynch said. “Seymour is part of the stalemate in Washington.”

At the same time, the Feinstein campaign has distributed a fund-raising appeal tied to the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent abortion decision, charging that Seymour’s credentials in support of abortion rights are suspect because he voted to confirm Clarence Thomas as a justice last fall.

Like Seymour, Feinstein says the election must be decided on issues but she also has put much more emphasis on her gender this year than when she ran against Wilson for governor in 1990.

The Feinstein fund-raising telegram said in part: “In California, we have a historic opportunity to double the number of women in the United States Senate by electing me and Barbara Boxer. . . .

“My opponent, John Seymour, caved in to pressure from the White House and radical anti-choice groups when he cast a key vote to confirm Clarence Thomas.”

Thomas’ nomination was especially controversial because of the sexual harassment charges brought against him by lawyer and former Thomas aide Anita Hill. Thomas voted last week to uphold restrictions on abortion imposed by a contested Pennsylvania law.

Seymour said at the luncheon held by a recently organized support group known as Women for Seymour that he had no regrets about his vote for Thomas and would willingly vote for him again.

In opening his remarks at the round-table discussion, an ebullient Seymour said: “You have no idea how good it feels to be in San Francisco and be surrounded by all these women. It’s fantastic.”

Seymour insisted that on issues of primary interest to women, he has the advantage.

“I’m pro-choice, I’m pro-family and I’m pro-jobs, and that’s what I think the campaign should be all about.”

Seymour said California’s state Senate had been “an old-boys’ club” when he was elected to the body to represent Anaheim and other parts of Orange County. He helped crack the all-male status of the GOP caucus by helping to finance the elections of Sens. Becky Morgan of Los Altos Hills and Marian Bergeson of Newport Beach, he said. They are serving as co-chairwomen of Women for Seymour.

Seymour said he has a better program for job creation in California and for a “common-sense balancing” of environmental regulation with economic vitality.

Several of Seymour’s women supporters commended him for his work in the Senate even though he is virtually at the bottom of the seniority ladder.

In particular, they remarked about his winning Senate passage of a federal water reform bill over the objections of veteran Democratic Sens. J. Bennett Johnston of Louisiana and Bill Bradley of New Jersey.

This may have been a women’s meeting, but Seymour slipped quickly into locker room jargon to explain his success against Bradley, the former New York Knicks professional basketball player.

“Bradley, you know, he’s about 6-4, 6-5,” he said, casting an upward glance from his own 5-foot-6 frame as if Bradley were standing there guarding him in basketball. Feinting and twisting in his chair, Seymour added, “I just waited until he sort of moved and his legs opened up and pffft, right between ‘em, and I got (the bill) out.”