Wilson Hastens to O.C. With Call for Party Unity

Gov. Pete Wilson made a lightning-fast trip to Orange County on Wednesday just hours after the primary election to mend fences with Republicans who voted for his challenger Ron Unz and to shore up support among the party faithful.

About 300 Wilson supporters crammed into a muggy, sixth-floor office here in a show of unity behind the Republican ticket. Attendees included some of the winners and losers from Tuesday’s primary races and conservatives and moderates alike.

During a brief speech, Wilson stressed that come the Nov. 8 general election, when he faces Democrat Kathleen Brown, he expects Orange County to deliver the winning votes as it has in the past.

“We expect Orange County to do the job that it always has,” he said.

Wilson and the local Republican leadership downplayed the level of support Unz received here. According to semi-official results, Unz won 43% of the vote in Orange County, compared to 33% statewide.

“Pete Wilson has always carried Orange County,” said Thomas A. Fuentes, chairman of the county Republican Committee. “We’ve done it before for Pete Wilson in Orange County and we’ll do it again.”

Others called Unz’s surprising success in Orange County a “wake-up call” for Wilson--a warning from those who feel the governor has strayed too far from the conservative base that elected him.

“I think he’ll be paying more attention to certain conservative issues,” said Harold W. Ezell, one of the major supporters of a Wilson-sponsored initiative that would prevent children of undocumented workers from attending public schools and receiving a host of other federal benefits. “I think he’s got a tough challenge ahead of him, but there’s a lot of baggage with that Brown name.”

Said Ho Chung, a Garden Grove councilman: “A lot of people think he’s not conservative enough, so they supported someone else.

“But now that the primary’s over, it’s all clear. As Republicans, we have no one else to support but Pete Wilson.”

In his speech to the gathering, Wilson hammered on the themes that have been the rallying cry of his campaign. These included his support of the “three strikes” crime bill, tougher judicial treatment of violent juvenile offenders and tough action to stem illegal immigration.

“We are not going to rest until we reach as many people as we can reach because we have a lot riding on it,” he said.