O.C.’s Congress Delegation Confident of Sweep Nov. 3 : Election: They are so certain that most have been accused by opponents of running ‘stealth’ campaigns.

No one need tell Democratic congressional candidate John F. Anwiler the long odds against victory in the race for the 47th District seat held by Republican incumbent Christopher Cox.

“If I could win this election with less than $5,000, light would be coming from the clouds (and) the Crystal Cathedral’s bells would be going off,” Anwiler said, without conceding defeat.

So confident are Republicans that they will once again sweep the six congressional races in all or parts of conservative Orange County that most have been accused by their opponents of running “stealth” campaigns.

Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), running for reelection in the only congressional district hereabouts with a majority of Democratic voters, has even predicted he will receive 55.8% of the vote--somewhat less than the 60% he thinks he would get if circumstances were different.

“I will lose 2% in part because (President George) Bush is down, and another 2.2% because of anger at any incumbent at any level,” Dornan speculated, adding one caveat. “If I am off more than 1% . . . it will be because of (independent candidate Ross) Perot. I don’t know how to crank Perot people into my vote.”

But Dornan’s concessions are what give Democratic congressional candidates cause for optimism that, in this quirky election year, the conventional political wisdom about Orange County’s voting habits is wrong.

The weakened U.S. economy, anti-incumbency sentiment, Perot’s popularity, and the unusual support in the traditionally conservative county for Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton are being viewed by non-Republicans as bolstering their chances at the polls.

For example, in the spirited contest being waged in the newly drawn 39th Congressional District, where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 10%, Democrat Molly McClanahan hopes that voters will think of her Republican opponent, Edward R. Royce, as an “incumbent” member of the state Senate that gridlocked over this year’s state budget.

Royce, meanwhile, is distancing himself from President Bush, reminding voters he is a backer of Jack Kemp, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

And Libertarian candidate Jack Dean wants to win the Perot supporters by default, even if their positions do not agree.

“Ross Perot has done one thing this year,” said Dean, 45, of Fullerton. “He has raised the consciousness about the two older parties. He’s been a lightning rod or sign that people are looking for something different.”

In addition to the 39th District, which stretches into Los Angeles County, other congressional races on local ballots include:

* The 41st District, which touches northern Orange County and also includes parts of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Diamond Bar Mayor Jay C. Kim, 53, is running his first congressional campaign as a Republican against Democrat Bob Baker, 40, a defense industry analyst of Anaheim. The Peace and Freedom candidate is Mike Noonan, 52, a Claremont pharmacist and co-founder of his party.

* The 45th District, where Republican incumbent Dana Rohrabacher, 45, of Huntington Beach is being challenged by Democrat Patricia McCabe, 43, a Huntington Beach certified public accountant, and Libertarian candidate Gary D. Copeland, 36, a computer firm owner who resides in Fountain Valley.

* The 46th District, where Dornan, 59, of Garden Grove, faces opposition from Democrat Robert John Banuelos, 40, a Santa Ana resident and community services representative, and Libertarian candidate Richard G. Newhouse, 45, of Garden Grove, a college professor of geography.

* The 47th District, where Peace and Freedom candidate Maxine B. Quirk, 70, of Orange is on the ballot with Cox, 40, of Newport Beach, and Anwiler, 49, a business development economist from Lake Forest. The district also features Orange County’s only write-in congressional candidate, Dr. Barry Charles, who began his campaign five weeks ago carrying the banner of the Natural Law Party.

* The 48th District, which includes parts of Orange, San Diego and Riverside counties. It pits Republican incumbent Ron Packard, 61, of Oceanside, against three opponents. They are Peace and Freedom candidate Donna White, a San Diego telephone operator; Democrat Michael Farber, 32, of Escondido, a former land broker and development consultant; and Libertarian candidate Ted Lowe, 51, of Oceanside.

In the 39th District race, Royce, a 10-year state senator with the backing of conservative Republicans, is expected to outspend McClanahan by a margin of 10 to 1.

But despite a lengthy political record, which includes legislation in support of crime victims, Royce is facing an aggressive challenge from McClanahan, who argues that she has more realistic approaches to issues such as the faltering economy, the gender gap, racial understanding and education.

On the economy, Royce believes in less government regulation, including the elimination of the capital gains tax. McClanahan supports a capital gains tax cut but only if it is used to help create new jobs.

Royce also supports a limited health care plan, such as President Bush’s proposal to provide assistance for low- and middle-income families, while McClanahan favors a broader plan.

On the issue of abortion rights, Royce is opposed while McClanahan supports. And Royce favors the death penalty while McClanahan wants to do away with it because the entire process costs the state too much money.

The race heated up even more this week, when Royce mailed a brochure claiming that McClanahan voted for higher taxes on the Fullerton City Council, that she supports higher federal spending, voted to give herself a council pay raise, opposes term limits, opposes the death penalty, and supported Rose Elizabeth Bird, the controversial former California chief justice.

McClanahan did not deny that she opposes term limits and the death penalty, but called the mailer “inaccurate and inflammatory.”

For example, McClanahan noted that three of the four tax increase votes cited by Royce were in support of placing measures to pay for transportation projects on county ballots, and that voters ultimately made the decision on those tax increases. And on Bird, McClanahan added, “I don’t know where he got that. I never said that. I said she was a political appointee and not a qualified jurist.”

In the 48th District, Democrat Michael Farber is touting the endorsement he received from the San Diego chapter of United We Stand, the political movement organized around Perot’s candidacy.

Farber does not mince words in criticizing the incumbent, calling Packard “a tired man . . . ready to retire.”

Referring to a Washington-based publication’s labeling of Packard as “one of the 10 most obscure” congressmen, Farber said he has the energy to work on his conservative economic agenda which includes support of a job-producing capital gains tax cut for businesses coupled with a Democratic platform that includes support of abortion rights.

But Packard staunchly defends his record and his energy, claiming to be one of the most productive California members of Congress, particularly on issues ranging from transportation to water. He added that Farber’s “spin” on being called obscure is inaccurate, because the article was referring to behind-the-scenes “work horses instead of show horses.”

As a senior member of the House Transportation Committee, Packard said he made sure that California received an 87% return on transportation taxes and fees that go to the federal government. He also secured federal guarantees to support the construction of three toll roads in south Orange County.

While he said he expects to lose some support because of the anti-incumbency sentiment, Packard downplayed Farber’s endorsement from United We Stand since the group did not endorse any incumbents in San Diego County.

In the 46th District in central Orange County, Banuelos, a liberal Democrat, is hoping to benefit from a strong surge in Democratic Party voter registration, particularly among Latinos, that gave the party a 7% edge over Republicans going into Tuesday’s election.

Dornan has downplayed the impact of the drive, claiming that Latinos have a traditionally low voter turnout. Those who do vote, he added, will also vote for him because he is a strong Roman Catholic. And, referring to the marital status of his principal opponent, he said, “bachelors tend to not practice” Catholicism.

Art Montez, a campaign worker for Banuelos, said the Democrat is a “pro-choice Catholic” and that Dornan “verbally abuses women.”

Best known for his flamboyant conservatism and recent criticism of Clinton’s trip to Moscow and anti-war protests while studying in Europe, Dornan was criticized for his primary election night comments in which he referred to supporters of his Republican opponent as “lesbian spearchuckers.”

Banuelos said the Latino vote may surprise Dornan.

“This year is not like every other year,” the Democrat said. “For the first time in the history of Orange County, I am the first Latino candidate for Congress. This has given the extra incentive for everyone to go out and vote.”

Hoping to erase ethnicity as an issue in the 41st District campaign is Democrat Bob Baker. He is facing an uphill climb against Republican Jay Kim, who would become the first Korean-American congressman, if elected. Baker said too much public attention has been paid to Kim’s ethnicity.

Baker openly distances himself from his party and has adopted non-traditional stands in his campaign. He created a stir recently, for example, when he proposed that the children of gang members dealing in drugs should be taken away from their parents. And if violent gang members live in federally subsidized housing, the government should rescind their rent subsidies.

“I was shocked when I heard that,” Kim said afterward, adding that Baker has not taken into consideration the welfare of the children who would be affected by his proposals.

While Kim has received endorsements from conservative congressional leaders, he has adopted a mixed conservative and moderate platform that includes support for abortion rights and gun control.

In the 45th district, the Republican incumbent Rohrabacher is being challenged by an underfunded Democrat. But after surviving a three-way primary election fight, Rohrabacher has run a low-key general election campaign.

He boasts that as a member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, he has a “great deal of experience in dealing with aerospace issues that are vital to our local economy and to the national interest.”

His opponent, he added, “has no knowledge of this aerospace industry.” He said that is a defect of her candidacy in the post-Cold War era.

But Democrat McCabe is riding the tide of national sentiment for “a change” in the nation’s Capitol, claiming Rohrabacher has not contributed to positive solutions to the nation’s problems.

“I know from precinct walking that one of the questions I get asked is, am I the incumbent? They don’t know who the incumbent is, and I think Ross Perot will bring them out to vote.”

Pointing to past controversies Rohrabacher has been involved in, including criticizing the availability of social services to illegal immigrants who he collectively dubbed “Pedro,” McCabe said the incumbent practices the politics of division.

“I think he goes after people’s fears rather than bringing together the community and identifying the problems so that we can solve them,” she said.

But Rohrabacher responded: “That has a nice ring to it, but it does not make sense politically. You are not going to get anything done in a democratic society unless you are willing to make enemies.”

Perhaps one of the friendlier races is in the 47th District, where Anwiler supports Cox’s budget reform plan which limits Congress’ ability to create budget deficits.

The difference, Anwiler believes, is that if he were elected to the Democrat-controlled Congress with possibly a Democratic President, he would have a better chance of winning support for the package. “Otherwise you’re going to have four years of ‘Here are my proposals but I couldn’t get anything passed,’ ” Anwiler said.

Cox disagreed with Anwiler’s assessment, pointing out that the Democratic leadership opposes his measure, and with 150 co-sponsors signing on during the last session, he expects additional support during the next term.

And hoping to head off the anti-incumbency fever, Cox said he met with local leaders of the Perot movement to show his plans for reducing the deficit, even though he disagrees with Perot’s proposed tax increases.

Anwiler also has suggested a health-care system similar to Canada’s that would be regionalized, with the contract for the care provider put out for bid. A health commission similar to a utility commission would oversee the operations.

Offering different alternatives is Charles, the candidate for the Natural Law Party, which proposes lowering taxes, offering preventive health care to avoid larger health care costs incurred once illness strikes, and offering transcendental meditation to prison inmates to reduce stress and the chances of their becoming repeat offenders.