As Dornan Relaxes, 7 Democrats Vie for Challenger Role

As seven Democrats make a final, breathless rush to Tuesday’s primary and the right to challenge Rep. Robert K. Dornan in the November election, the normally combative congressman is taking a relaxed approach: On primary night, Dornan will be far above the fray, flying back from D-day celebrations in France.

Dornan (R-Garden Grove), who drew no opponents in the Republican primary, has not yet felt a need to do much in the way of campaigning, according to his staff. But in a signal that the low-key approach is unlikely to last much past the primary, he has raised nearly $473,000 since Jan. 1--more than seven times the amount raised by businessman Mike Farber, the best-financed Democrat in the race.

And even from Europe, the eight-term conservative with a reputation for vitriolic attacks on his political rivals belittled his Democratic opponents as “unknown wanna-bes.”

“The best analysis of my campaign is summed up by a national Democrat consultant who once said that Bob Dornan always seems to rise up to meet the threat,” he said in a statement.

Back in the district, which takes in parts of Anaheim, Garden Grove and Santa Ana, the crowded field of Democrats was planning an active last few days of campaigning, including mailings and precinct walks. But several analysts questioned whether any of the candidates had any realistic chance of beating Dornan.

“I think the Democrats are doing it to themselves again,” said Mark Petracca, associate professor of political science at UC Irvine. “The problem with the party in Orange County is that it’s democratic. And the consequences of that are, frequently, misplaced energy, misplaced or misallocated expenditures of funds and frequently a good deal of chaos.”

Orange County Democratic Party Chairwoman Dorianne Garcia said she did not feel party unity had been hurt by the number of candidates in the primary, despite some early squabbling about torn-down campaign signs and hard-won endorsements.

“I think the candidates have finally settled down,” Garcia said. “We’re getting down to the wire and they’re concentrating on the campaigns now.”

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“I really don’t think it’s hurt to have so many in the primary. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the more the merrier as far as trying to get rid of Bob goes,” she said, adding that she expected the large number of campaigns to yield a stronger, larger group of volunteers than the party is typically able to raise for the general election.

The Democratic Party considers Dornan vulnerable, largely because his district is the only one in Orange County in which Democrats outnumber Republicans. The party holds a registration edge of 48% to 41%, according to the most recent figures.

Three of the seven candidates--Farber, Santa Ana resident Robert John Banuelos, who was the Democratic nominee against Dornan in 1992, and Los Alamitos systems analyst John M. Ivler--each claimed to be the Democratic front-runner this week, based on their own polls and informal voter surveys.

Others in the race include Madelene E. Arakelian, a Laguna Hills businesswoman; Norman Z. Eckenrode, mayor of Placentia; Don Payne, an engineer from Anaheim, and Huu Chung Nguyen, a computer analyst from Orange who qualified as a write-in candidate.

Farber, who moved to the district in February, 1993, for the purpose of running against Dornan, has raised more money--about $63,000 by the most recent filing deadline--and collected more endorsements than any other candidate. His endorsements include those of the state Democratic Party and many Orange County party luminaries.

He said Thursday he is now the “unequivocal front-runner” and is paying little attention to the other Democratic candidates.

“We’re now looking at this as merely the warm-up for the battle against Bob Dornan,” said Farber, who expects to spend close to $200,000 in the primary. He said he expects to raise $700,000 to $1 million for the general election, assuming he is the nominee.

Farber, who is the state director of the Concord Coalition, a group advocating a reduction of the federal deficit, said two factors motivated him to run: his desire to play a role in helping to cut the deficit and a feeling that Dornan was “uninterested” in the needs of his district.

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“While I’ve lived in this district a little less than two years, I’ve been there more than Dornan has been in the 10 years that he’s lived there, representing the district,” he said.

Banuelos, who received 41% of the vote in 1992 despite spending less than $5,000 and doing little campaigning, did not return phone calls this week.

Campaign manager Arturo Montez said Banuelos, a volunteer counselor for senior citizens, has raised and spent less than $5,000 to date, but is campaigning more actively than he did in 1992. Montez said a major focus of the campaign is attempting to register voters in Latino and other ethnic communities in the central Orange County district.

“Our intent is not to buy the vote,” Montez said. “We’re going to earn it by walking the streets and meeting the needs of the public. We’re following the same model we did last time, running a grass-roots campaign. Obviously, we are not the anointed candidate of the developers and the special interests.”

In fact, at least four of the candidates are better financed than Banuelos, according to the campaign disclosure statements filed last week. Eckenrode did not file any statements, apparently indicating he had not reached the $5,000 fund-raising threshold, and Payne has said he will not accept any contributions.

Ivler reported raising more than $12,000, while write-in candidate Chung Nguyen took in about $10,000 and Arakelian slightly more than $6,000.

Arakelian, who said she expects to spend $50,000 in the primary, “most of it mine,” said several of her opponents have taken contributions from special interest groups. In contrast, she said, “I’m my own lady, by myself, and that’s how I want the public to see me.”

In any event, the winner of the primary is likely to gain financial backing from Beat Bob Inc., a fund-raising committee formed last June with the single purpose of defeating Dornan.

Howard Adler, former chairman of the Orange County Democratic Party and one of the architects of the effort, said the group has raised and spent about $60,000 so far. Most of the funds have been used for a six-minute videotape that shows some of the congressman’s more incendiary quotes. Adler and other prominent Democrats have endorsed Farber’s campaign.

Democrats and Dornan Democratic chances of defeating Republican Rep. Robert K. Dornan in the 46th Congressional District are, in one sense, enhanced this year. The Democrats’ registration edge has increased from two points in 1992 to seven today. Voter registration: 1992 Democrat: 46% Republican: 44% Declined to state: 7% Other: 3% *1994 Democrat: 48% Republican: 41% Declined to state: 8% Other: 3% *Overcoming a Deficit Even facing a registration deficit, Dornan was able to win by a comfortable edge in the 1992 general election. Results: Republican Robert K. Dornan: 50% Democrat Robert J. Banuelos: 41% Libertarian Richard G. Newhouse: 9% Source: County registrar of voters; Researched by APRIL JACKSON / Los Angeles Times