ELECTIONS / 19TH STATE SENATE DISTRICT : Wright Denies Joining Clinton Bandwagon

The charged race for the 19th State Senate seat took a confusing turn Thursday when Assemblywoman Cathie Wright of Simi Valley, a staunch Republican, was accused of jumping onto the Bill Clinton bandwagon.

But Wright, who did not ask to be on a mailer with the Democratic presidential candidate or pay to be included, is “furious,” said John Theiss, her campaign manager.

Wright’s name appears on a “Democratic Voter Guide” that urges support for Democrats running for national and state offices, including Clinton, Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, Anita Perez Ferguson, Anthony C. Beilenson and Roz McGrath.

In the middle of the list is one candidate identified as a Republican--Wright, who does not support the Democratic presidential ticket.

Attorney Hank Starr, Wright’s Democratic opponent in the race to represent most of Ventura County and parts of the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, accused the assemblywoman of deceptive campaigning in a statement Thursday.

Starr alleged that Wright “has a clear history of trying to circumvent the electoral process by tricking voters into believing she is something she is not. In this case, she is trying to jump on the Clinton-Gore bandwagon.”

Nels Henderson, chairman of the Democratic Central Committee in Ventura County, said the slate mailer was not produced by the Democratic Party. The document says it was prepared by the California Democratic Alliance, which has a post office box address in Los Angeles.

Henderson, a consultant to Assembly candidate McGrath, and representatives of other candidates appearing on the mailer said it was published by Fred Huebscher, a Los Angeles businessman who has been criticized for producing commercial slate mailers that appear to come from a political party. Huebscher could not be reached for comment.

The mailer includes an advertisement for Wright and her photograph. The document states that candidates with an asterisk next to their names, including Wright, “paid for and authorized” the use of their name in the slate.

But Theiss said, “We categorically deny it. This is a typical ploy that Democrats use in competitive races to confuse voters. She’s an incredibly strong and powerful candidate and is considered the front-runner. . . . To give some credibility to the slate, they’ve used her name.”

“They know Hank Starr’s not going to win.”

Henderson, the Democratic committee chairman, replied, “Her being on it gives it credibility? Cathie Wright is not a credible person. This is the wildest and most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard.”

Starr has acknowledged that Wright has greater name recognition and has raised far more funds for her campaign.

Parke Skelton, a consultant to the Starr campaign, said he talked to Heubscher about the slate mailer but concluded that Starr could not afford to participate. Skelton said the goal of including a Republican such as Wright on the mailer was “to bamboozle a few Democrats into voting for a Republican by mistake.”