Overshadowed

San Diego is GOP territory all year round. About 43.5% of registered voters in the convention county are Republicans, compared to 35.7% Democrats, according to the Secretary of State’s office. But it’s a far cry from neighboring Orange County, which is 52.3% Republican--the highest percentage in the state. Elsewhere in Southern California, the GOP leads in Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. But forget about mammoth Los Angeles County, where 53.7% of the registered voters are Democrats.

Reach Out and Touch Someone

Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole affected a surprised grin Tuesday when reporters told him that former Gen. Colin L. Powell had expressed some interest in serving in a Dole Cabinet, if the former senator is elected. Powell has often been mentioned as a possible secretary of state or defense. “He did?” Dole said. “Got his number?”

Big Drop in Ratings

Opening-night viewing of the Republican National Convention dropped to historic lows, down roughly 20% from 1992 levels, based on preliminary ratings released by Nielsen Media Research. ABC, CBS and NBC combined for just 23% of the available audience, down from 30% for opening night four years ago. The three major networks reached just over 12 million U.S. homes (out of nearly 96 million with televisions), compared to 14.9 million in 1992. CNN was seen in an additional 1.3 million households, about the same as the last GOP convention. National ratings for PBS and several cable channels televising at least part of the event (including The Family Channel, where the Republicans presented their own convention coverage) were not immediately available.