Surprise! O.C. Partisans Say Their Guy Won : Politics: Quayle, Gore boosters mainly accentuate the positive. And both camps use kid gloves in critiquing Perot running mate Stockdale.

Orange County Democratic and Republican boosters said they were pleased with how their respective candidates fared in Tuesday’s freewheeling, vice presidential candidate debate.

But supporters of the Clinton-Gore ticket said the debate will change few voters’ minds.

“I don’t think anybody won,” said Kathy Burdick, 46, a Huntington Beach resident.

Meanwhile, some Bush-Quayle loyalists suggested that the debate had improved that ticket’s chances.

“I think some people who don’t feel comfortable with Clinton felt comfortable with Gore” before the debate, said Lynn Miller, a 26-year-old Corona del Mar resident. “But by (Gore) following the same exact path as Clinton--not answering questions--he falls into the same path as Clinton. The same smile, the same arrogance, the same smooth, polished” image, she said.

Quayle’s vigorous attacks Tuesday on the credibility and character of Tennessee Sen. Al Gore and Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton left different, if not unpredictable, impressions in both camps.

At West Orange County Democratic headquarters in Huntington Beach, Ken Baden, a 62-year-old retired former Republican, came away feeling that should a President die in office, the concept of “a President Quayle is terrifying,” he said. “President Gore is comforting.”

Baden likened Quayle to Rep. Robert K. Dornan, (R-Garden Grove).

“Quayle’s game plan was to be an attack dog; don’t worry about the facts, the Bob Dornan style,” Baden said.

At another debate-viewing party, at Bush-Quayle headquarters in Irvine, Bruce Hinkle, a 37-year-old Costa Mesa marketing consultant, said that Tuesday’s debate convinced him “that Dan Quayle can stand up to the best of them.”

Hinkle said Quayle’s performance is bound to change opinions of “a lot of the Republicans” who previously had been influenced by “the poor press the vice president has been getting.”

“They saw him for what he really is, which he hasn’t had a chance to do before,” Hinkle said.

Partisans at both party headquarters gave the third vice presidential candidate, Ross Perot’s running mate retired Vice Adm. James B. Stockdale, positive marks for spunk, while chiding him for his fumbling as a public speaker.

“He was kind of out of his habitat and seemed to be uncomfortable,” Baden said.

“Initially, I felt a little sorry for the admiral,” agreed Cheri Ketner, 35, who was at the Bush-Quayle headquarters. “But he added some insight when he felt he was watching a Ping-Pong match, watching some of the quips go back and forth.”

Stockdale “kind of aligned himself with the Bush ticket,” Ketner said. “I’d love to see the Perot supporters see that and come over and support the President a little more. They need to get the message that they have so much in common.”

Quayle’s hard-hitting attack was perhaps the most significant aspect of the debate, both camps agreed. Whether it was deemed an effective tactic depended on who was asked.

“My first impression was that Gore came on acting much more presidential,” said Sal Basile, 50, a Garden Grove resident at the Huntington Beach Democratic gathering. “He looked like he was ready to take the part (of President) if anything happens.”

Bush supporter Miller listened to the first portion of the debate on the radio.

“Sen. Gore sounded on the radio as if he was reading from a script,” she said. “And Stockdale sounded like he was stammering through the whole thing. Once I saw the whole thing (on television) Quayle had the best stature.”

Gore was “too ‘smirky,’ ” she said. Clinton and Gore “have that ‘We’re-not-going-to-answer-the-questions-we’re-just-going-to-change- the-topic’” attitude, Miller said.

But Bee Brady, 89-year-old retired lawyer at Democratic headquarters, interpreted the candidates differently.

Quayle “came across too much as a wise guy,” Brady said.