Democrats Buzz With Talk of ’98 Governor’s Race

There’s a presidential election coming up in November of 1996, but the biological clock of the political activists attending the Democratic State Convention last weekend already was ticking toward 1998.

That is when California elects a new governor, an office that affects state political fortunes on virtually an hourly basis and provides hundreds of potential job openings for loyal campaign workers and financial contributors. Frozen out of the governor’s suite in the Capitol for 13 years, the Democrats are hungry.

The 1996 convention of the California Democratic Party held Friday through Sunday was designed to fulfill one principal goal: to rally the troops for the fall campaign to win the reelection of President Clinton.

But the meeting of 2,500 or so Democratic Party activists and would-be candidates at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel also served as an early showcase for potential candidates and a testing ground for rumored contenders.

When state party Chairman Art Torres was asked if he had heard a lot of talk about who might be running for governor two years from now, he laughed and said: “Oh yeah. Everywhere!”

When told that even his own name had circulated to some extent, the 49-year-old Torres said, “Who? Me? Are you kidding?”

Speculation about possible gubernatorial candidates is more than an idle trivia game for activists with time on their hands. It’s a genetic blood sport.

Coming away from the 1996 meeting, this much was clear to party insiders and observers: Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, a veteran of nearly 25 years in California politics, is off and running hard; state Controller Kathleen Connell, a newcomer, seems almost certain to run.

Rumors persist, despite a corps of skeptics, that Sen. Dianne Feinstein may make another bid for the governorship, which she narrowly lost to Republican Pete Wilson in 1990.

Feinstein has said there is considerable pressure on her to run, largely by party officials who question whether Davis or Connell can win. And indeed, Feinstein acknowledges that she still would like to be governor. But she is held back to a degree by the prospect of running her fourth costly and grueling statewide campaign within eight years.

Davis, Connell and Feinstein. That’s the A list.

The B list is virtually open-ended, spinning off into the realm of real speculation. But it includes former Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, now serving as deputy secretary of the Interior Department; White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, a former congressman from Monterey, and real longshots such as Torres and state Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer.

Not even on the charts is former state Treasurer Kathleen Brown, the daughter and sister of former governors, whom Wilson drubbed in the 1994 election.

Brown has given no indication that she is thinking about running for public office again. Nor did her name circulate at the convention in that context.

The speculation even went so far as to include this scenario: Feinstein runs and wins. Then she has to resign her Senate seat to take over the governorship, just as Wilson did in 1991.

Then Feinstein appoints Panetta to the Senate post.

Barring surprises, Republicans seem to have unofficially settled on their contender to succeed George Deukmejian and Wilson. He is state Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren, who faces no serious prospective opposition for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan occasionally is mentioned as a potential candidate, but he is focused on his campaign for reelection in 1997.

Throughout the Democrats’ gathering, the prime-time show was watching Davis and Connell jousting and hustling for position, and engaging in chilly body English as they were forced to sit next to each other on the platform during Saturday’s floor session.

When Davis got up to speak, he talked about the job ahead for the party and the need to elect the first Democrat for governor since 1978, when former Gov. Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr. won his second term.

“That’s something I’d like to come back and talk to you about next year,” Davis quipped.

Connell is being slightly more coy about her plans.

In her speech, Connell said First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton--the keynote speaker Saturday--has always been a role model to her.

Then Connell added, “And I don’t think we have enough strong women in national and state government.”

Connell’s talk also provided the potential for a sharp elbow jab at Davis. In her prepared text, distributed beforehand to the media, Connell extolled the virtues of other Democratic officeholders, including Sens. Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. She also named the party’s legislative leaders by name.

But the text blessed Davis with the faintest of praise in a cryptic reference to “our lieutenant governor’s fine work on the UC Board of Regents.”

So what was this? A deliberate, petty slight? Why should Davis be the only one of five Democratic leaders not mentioned by name?

But when Connell actually delivered the address, she did refer to Davis by name, and expanded a bit on his achievements.

For the rest of the convention, Davis and Connell behaved as if they already were engaged all out in a bitter primary election battle for the 1998 Democratic nomination for governor.

Each had booths for handing out literature about themselves. And they dutifully trooped one after the other to a series of caucuses to make speeches.

Each state official hosted hospitality suites Saturday night. Connell’s, with characteristic flair, had a carnival motif with balloons, a juggler and nonalcoholic beverages.

Davis’ reception was more austere. No balloons. No juggler. But there was beer and wine on hand. Those who wanted hard liquor had to pony up $4 a drink. It was a more traditional hospitality suite, with a touch of fiscal conservatism perhaps.