Dornan Contest Teeters Back Into Uncertainty

After a day of reversals and confusion, the outcome of the contentious race between Republican Rep. Robert K. Dornan and Democratic newcomer Loretta Sanchez remained unknown Wednesday, and final results weren’t expected until next week.

Down by nearly 1,000 votes, Dornan all but conceded the race Wednesday morning as his opponent fielded congratulatory calls from prospective colleagues in Washington.

Speaking to reporters on the front lawn of his home and surrounded by family members, Dornan, a nine-term representative, spoke of hosting a radio talk show and said, “There’s no sadness here. I feel I am going to capitalize on this. The sky’s the limit for me.”

But by day’s end, it was Dornan who was jubilant. With a slightly narrowed gap and the revelation late in the day that there were about 1,200 more uncounted absentee ballots than had been thought, he was holding out hope that he might be able to snatch back the victory he had claimed last week on election night.

In addition to the absentee ballots, the registrar still must count 1,500 to 3,000 so-called provisional ballots, those filled out by voters whose names did not appear on registration lists. Those will be counted once they are validated by the end of next week. The mail-in ballots should be counted by Friday.

“Anything could happen,” Dornan said. “Anything is possible.”

Indeed, voters in the district represented by the conservative firebrand have become accustomed to surprises. A fervent opponent of abortion, gay rights, gun control and communism, Dornan has never been known for subtlety.

Sometimes at odds with his own party, he appears to invite controversy and chaos, as when he called President Clinton a womanizer, a liar, a triple draft dodger and a drug abuser. Yet despite his passionate stands and rhetoric, Dornan has been a tough political survivor--one reason his apparent defeat was so stunning, and his potential resurrection so believable.

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“It’s like the slaying of the dragon,” said Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) early Wednesday, when a Sanchez victory seemed assured. “I’m still up in the clouds.”

Later in the day, Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-San Diego), a strong Dornan ally, said he was confident his friend would win. “In America, voting is a sacred right, one we do not take lightly,” he said. “Before deciding this race, we must conduct a vigorous examination of every ballot.”

Dornan has repeatedly asserted that large numbers of noncitizens may have voted in this election and changed the outcome, but he has yet to offer any solid evidence. Dornan said Wednesday he would not push an investigation himself, but urged the Republican Party, as well as Orange County Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi, to look into his charges.

Similar allegations have been made and investigated in previous elections, but evidence has never been uncovered of widespread fraud, said the registrar of voters, Rosalyn Lever.

Reacting to news of the uncounted ballots, Sanchez campaign chairman John Shallman said he had “no concern.”

“The gap [between Dornan and Sanchez] could get closer or it could get wider because of these ballots and the provisionals, but it never will get under 500 votes,” Shallman said. “Probably the final count will go back up closer to an 800- or 900-vote difference.”

Sanchez spent the afternoon at her Garden Grove condominium relaxing and taking calls from well-wishers, he said, and later she did some interviews with television media. In the evening, she had dinner with her family at a restaurant.

Throughout the day, she thanked her supporters, spoke of her aspirations for the district and made plans to travel to Washington tonight.

“Orange County has sent a message . . . and it’s a pleasure to be the messenger for the people of these communities,” she said at a news conference. “And I think the message is very clear. It says that we can send a woman to Congress, we can send a Latino to Congress, we can send a Democrat to Congress, we can send somebody who is tolerant, someone with reason, and someone who believes in the future.”

Then, clearly contrasting her beliefs with Dornan’s conservative stands on social issues, Sanchez, who identified herself as the daughter of poor immigrants, said, “We are going to try to do things differently this time. Instead of being divisive, we are going to come together and find common ground.”

With what was believed to be all absentee ballots counted Wednesday, Dornan trailed Sanchez by 765 votes--just 190 votes closer than he had been Tuesday night. The contest seemed to be virtually over.

But late in the day, Dornan supporters got a boost when a caller told them that 1,200 mail-in ballots remained uncounted. Dornan’s chief of staff blurted out: “Oh please, Jesus, those 1,200 are ours.” The news unleashed cheers and hugs, and Dornan’s hopes, though still slim, were reinvigorated.

Lever confirmed the news Wednesday evening, but said her office had always known of the uncounted ballots. Apparently they escaped the attention of both campaigns and the press.

She said the mail-in ballots came from precincts throughout the county with fewer than 250 registered voters each--so small that the registrar’s office does not provide polling places there. “These are forced absentee precincts,” she said. “Voters who live in them are required to vote by mail.”

On Wednesday, Sanchez campaign staffers outlined the strategy that apparently served them well. In order to establish credibility in a district that has for years been practically conceded to Republicans, the campaign spent its remaining war chest of $100,000 in September.

“We decided we wanted to move numbers early to show we could win,” said campaign manager Shallman. “We gambled. We didn’t have a lot of money and we needed to generate attention.”

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Two weeks of television ads and mailers directed primarily at undecided voters boosted Sanchez’s visibility. “It gave us the momentum to build a war chest. It got those people who really wanted to beat Bob Dornan, who had been sitting on their hands, to write the best check they’d ever written. It rained money.”

With almost half a million dollars collected in the final month of the campaign, strategists were able to flood voters with messages on issues they had identified as important--jobs, crime, education, the family and the economy. Sanchez chose not to challenge Dornan on social issues, such as abortion and gay rights.

In the week before the election, Sanchez campaigners further targeted low-propensity voters, including Latinos and women who did not vote in the last election. With a team of 600 volunteers, they contacted everyone who had been identified as a Sanchez voter who had an absentee ballot.

The district, according to 1990 census figures, is about 49% Latino, 13% Asian American and 38% white.

Also contributing to this report were Times staff writers Dexter Filkins, Matt Lait, Gebe Martinez, H.G. Reza, Michael G. Wagner and Tracy Weber and correspondent John Canalis.