Herschensohn Stresses His Support for Social Security : Campaign: GOP Senate candidate wants to debate opponent Boxer, he tells Leisure World audience.

LAGUNA HILLS — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Herschensohn came to bedrock GOP territory Wednesday at the Leisure World Republican Club to shake hands and emphasize his support for Social Security.

Herschensohn said Social Security is a benefit that older Americans have earned by paying into the fund during their working years. He said no one should take away any part of their Social Security benefits.

Social Security “is not a welfare system,” Herschensohn told the enthusiastic audience. “You and your employers paid into the system.” He added that he opposes any attempt to reduce Social Security payments because of an individual’s wealth.

Herschensohn, a Los Angeles television commentator, also told the senior citizens that he has been attempting to persuade his Democratic opponent Barbara Boxer to debate him at various campaign stops throughout the state.

“Instead of campaigning separately, we could campaign together as two candidates, traveling city to city,” Herschensohn said. He said such campaigning would emphasize issues and cut down on personal attacks because “the opposition is right there, looking you in the eye.” He said Boxer so far has declined his proposals for joint campaigning.

The conservative Republican candidate did not criticize the liberal congresswoman from the San Francisco Bay area during his campaign stop. He described her only as “a very articulate spokesperson on the other side of the political spectrum.”

A July 30 statewide Field Poll showed Boxer with 49% of voter support compared to 31% for Herschensohn. Twenty percent of the people were still undecided. Recent polls also have shown that President George Bush is badly trailing Democrat Bill Clinton in California, even in predominantly Republican Orange County.

In an interview after his speech, Herschensohn was asked if he had come to Orange County and Leisure World because he is afraid of losing the county. “That’s nonsense,” he said. “I always do well in Orange County. Orange County is good to me.” He added that he came to Leisure World because he normally visits his supporters there every year.

Herschensohn acknowledged that President Bush is having problems in Orange County and elsewhere in the state. But he predicted that Bush will nonetheless win California in November.

“In California, the way it goes is that at the beginning of the cycle, Democrats win polls, and at the end of the cycle, Republicans win elections,” he said.

However, Herschensohn said he expects the presidential race in California to be a very close one.

About 200 of the Leisure World Republican Club’s 800 members attended Herschensohn’s speech on Wednesday morning, according to Naida Carlson, club president. Following his talk, Herschensohn joined Vice President Dan Quayle, who was also campaigning Wednesday in Orange County.