Candidates Giving Ads a Screen Test in Central Valley

California’s political air war escalated Monday in the race for governor as Republican Dan Lungren began televising his first spots and Democrat Gray Davis expanded the reach of his weeklong advertising effort.

Both candidates are limiting their initial forays to the Central Valley, which is strategically crucial and a relatively cheap place to buy ad time. As part of their regional focus, the contenders will meet in their second face-to-face debate next Tuesday in Fresno.

Atty. Gen. Lungren joined Lt. Gov. Davis on the airwaves Monday by launching a series of three spots in which he talks tough on drugs and, separately, extols the dominance of the state’s agricultural industry and the “values” and “heartbeat of California” centered in “the great Central Valley.”

In the anti-drug ad, airing in television markets from Chico to Bakersfield, Lungren calls for “zero tolerance. . . . No drugs, no guns on school campuses. No ifs, ands or buts about it.” Visually, the advertisement is filled with staples of the campaign season: kids, cops and classrooms.

Similarly, Davis’ latest spot is replete with tried-and-true images: flags, a melting-pot melange of faces, and its own supporting cast of cops. Drawing an implicit contrast with Lungren, who goes unmentioned, the Davis spot says, “As governor, he’ll fight the tobacco industry, protect a woman’s right to choose, and stand up to oil companies who want to drill off California’s coast.”

The 30-second commercial started airing Monday in Sacramento, expanding the scope of Davis’ ad campaign, which began a week ago with an advertisement touting his Vietnam War service and support for the death penalty.

The candidates’ focus on the Central Valley reflects the strategic importance of a region that is perhaps the most competitive of any in California, with large numbers of independent and so-called swing voters who cross back and forth to support candidates of both major parties. “It’s possible the race will be won or lost in the Central Valley,” said David Puglia, Lungren’s campaign chief, in previewing his candidate’s spots at a Sacramento press conference.

The other attraction of advertising in the Central Valley is cost, where $100,000 a week--enough to buy a handful of prime-time spots in Los Angeles--can go a long way--particularly at a time when relatively few voters are perceived to be paying close attention to politics.