CALIFORNIA ELECTIONS / U.S. SENATE : Republican Farmers Endorse Feinstein, Citing Record

Rancher Jean Sagouspe was one of the many disbelievers in 1992 when Dianne Feinstein came to California’s agricultural heartland during her first U.S. Senate campaign and promised she was a friend of the farmers.

She was a city slicker from San Francisco, he thought. A friend of the environmentalists and a supporter of their controversial 1990 initiative, Big Green. Surely, he figured, her appeals were nothing more than an election-year conversion.

Friday, however, Sagouspe joined prominent Republican rancher John Harris and more than two dozen other GOP farmers in saying they were wrong about Feinstein. On a number of important issues over the last two years, they said she has proved to be interested and responsive to agriculture.

“If you would have asked me if I would be standing here doing this a year ago, I would have said you were crazy,” said Sagouspe, a Republican who put a Feinstein bumper sticker on his Ford Explorer on Friday on top of one that said “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted for Bush.”

“Probably nobody in this room voted for her when she ran against (appointed Republican Sen.) John Seymour,” Sagouspe said at a news conference. “. . . But she has made a believer out of us.”

Feinstein told the group she was not surprised to be met with skepticism when she campaigned in 1992 and lost most of the valley to her GOP rival.

“I am very emotional, because people here know what I said I would do, . . .” Feinstein said. “So for me, what this press conference means is promises made, promises kept.”

Friday’s event included a steak luncheon fund-raiser for more than 100 people, mostly area farmers. It was held at one of California’s landmarks, the Harris Ranch, well-known to drivers on Interstate 5 as the place northeast of Coalinga where a sea of black, brown and white cows seem to stretch to the horizon. The ranch also operates an inn and restaurant that is a popular stopping place for those making the long drive north or south.

Harris, son of the ranch founder, is among the San Joaquin Valley’s most influential political leaders. “Harris’ name is mentioned in hushed tones in these parts,” said one Democratic observer.

Harris traditionally backs Republicans and this year he is supporting Gov. Pete Wilson’s bid for reelection. He also hosted an event last spring for farmers to hear from Feinstein’s Republican rival, Mike Huffington.

But Friday, Harris said, “In this case, Huffington doesn’t really bring a lot to the party in terms of knowledge of agriculture and knowledge of California. In agriculture now, we have so many issues that are important, we have to have somebody who will work for us.”

Friday’s event escalated the battle between Feinstein and Huffington over voters in the San Joaqin Valley. It is traditionally a Republican base of support and Huffington has declared that he will lose the race if he loses the valley.

But Feinstein has vigorously pursued support here from her former detractors. In addition to the farmers at Harris Ranch, Feinstein was endorsed earlier this year by the state’s largest agricultural organization, the California Farm Bureau.

Huffington, who hosted a fund-raiser Friday evening in San Francisco with former Housing Secretary Jack Kemp, attributed the Harris Ranch endorsements to farmers who are “hedging their bets” because they think Feinstein will win the race. Huffington added that he is confident the defectors will return to the GOP when they learn more about Feinstein’s record.

“While Dianne Feinstein tries to play herself as the farmer’s best friend, her past support for radical environmentalists proves that she is really more like Cesar Chavez in pearls,” said Huffington spokeswoman Jennifer Grossman.