Elizabeth Dole Makes O.C. Visit Brief : Fatigued, She Leaves Early at Fund-Raiser Where She Sat In for Husband

An exhausted Elizabeth Dole made a brief appearance Monday night as stand-in for her husband at a $10,000-per-couple fund-raiser, then left the dinner because of fatigue, an organizer explained to the guests.

Elizabeth Dole, 60, was to have addressed the approximately 150 people at the California Republican Party event at the Hyatt Regency, but she excused herself during the salad course and left without speaking.

Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole, who had agreed in mid-September to attend the dinner, was forced to back out late last week after the schedule for the presidential debates changed, campaign officials said.

Dole spent the weekend at his vacation home in Florida preparing for the confrontation with President Clinton and was in Washington on Monday night. Elizabeth Dole flew to Orange County from Florida late Monday for the fund-raiser, arriving in a motorcade at the hotel about 30 minutes late.

The announcement that Elizabeth Dole would leave the dinner early surprised the attendees, who reacted with sympathy and concern.

Judie Argyros, wife of dinner sponsor George Argyros, stood before the guests and said Elizabeth Dole had been up since 3 a.m. At that point, Dole stood, chatted briefly with a few guests, then left the room. There was a brief buzz of dismay.

“That is a surprise,” said one of the dinner guests.

Before leaving the dinner, Elizabeth Dole had posed individually with each of the contributing couples along with vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp and his wife, Joanne. Kemp, who spoke to the guests after dinner, noted that Elizabeth Dole “came from Florida--she had a long day.”

He then moved on to his speech, giving an eager pep talk and predicting a GOP victory in November.

“Give us the White House and we will capture the American dream for everyone in this country,” he said. “This is not the Grand Old Party. This is the Grand Opportunity Party.”

The event raised about $700,000 for Victory ‘96, the California campaign to elect Republicans to state and national offices. About 65 couples paid to attend the event, and a few wrote checks for considerably more than $10,000, organizers said.

In a brief interview before the dinner, Argyros said he was sure all the contributors understood Bob Dole’s change of plan.

“We would rather have Bob Dole prepare for the debates next week than have dinner with us,” he said.

Bruce Nestande, a spokesman for the fund-raiser, said the candidate’s decision to skip the event did not cause a problem.

“I haven’t heard of a single person who asked for their check back or said they aren’t coming because Sen. Bob Dole isn’t coming,” he said.

Among the paying guests Monday were Byron Allumbaugh, chairman of Ralphs supermarkets, and his wife, Ronni; Burt and Jane Boeckmann, owners of Galpin Ford in the San Fernando Valley; Doy Henley, chairman of the Orange County Lincoln Club and his wife, Dee; Argyros and his wife, Judie; the Rev. Robert H. and Arvella Schuller; Gavin Herbert, founder of Allergan, and his wife, Ninetta; Howard Leach, co-chairman of the Dole national campaign and his wife, Gretchen; William Foley II, chairman of Fidelity National Title Insurance Co.; and Alex Spanos, owner of the San Diego Padres.

Invited dignitaries included Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle of Garden Grove, Republican State Chairman John Herrington, state Senate Minority Leader Rob Hurtt of Garden Grove, state Treasurer Matt Fong, and Reps. Ed Royce of Fullerton, David Dreier of San Dimas, Jay C. Kim of Diamond Bar and Robert K. Dornan of Garden Grove.

The decision by Dole to remain on the East Coast had caused potential embarrassment for Argyros. The 500 invitations he sent on Sept. 16 contained a personal appeal to fellow Republicans to attend the “intimate dinner,” citing “our one opportunity prior to November to privately meet with Senator Dole.”

Republican officials went to great lengths last week to make clear that Dole agreed to attend the event, and that Argyros had not pitched the dinner to this select group of Republican givers when the appearance of the GOP presidential nominee was merely a likelihood and not a commitment.

In his invitation, Argyros made clear that all the money raised for the event, which was limited to the first 100 couples to sign up, would be spent within the state.

GOP officials emphasized that Dole’s absence was not an indication that the GOP ticket was writing off California, where he trails in the polls. Bitterness still lingers in Republican circles from 1992, when President George Bush gave up on his California campaign to focus instead on battling Clinton in other states, perhaps hurting GOP candidates on the ballot statewide.