Private Lives, Public Office: How Much Do Voters Care?

Public speculation about President Clinton’s sex life may lead to increased scrutiny of candidates for office this year, but the message more likely to resonate with voters will be honesty, not fidelity, political consultants say.

Scoring political points by alleging sexual misconduct is tricky, consultants say, because Americans apparently care more about public officials’ performance in office than their private lives. And several consultants said they will caution their clients to steer clear of sexual innuendo as campaigning begins in earnest next month for the state’s June primary.

Ron Smith, a Southern California consultant who handles Republican candidates, said the key is whether voters perceive a candidate as truthful or deceptive.

“If the public feels the candidate is hiding something from them, their background or whatever, that is where the public will be hypercritical this year,” said Smith, who is handling Orange County Dist. Atty. Mike Capizzi’s bid for the GOP nomination for attorney general.

If voters are familiar with a candidate, consultants say, they may be willing to overlook indiscretions if they are outweighed by strengths. Infidelity allegations would be much more damaging, for example, against a first-time candidate trying to build an image with voters than they would be for a popular incumbent.

The Clinton case “is going to be a boon for opposition researchers to look for hidden things in people’s pasts, but the question people will pay more attention to is, are candidates being honest,” said consultant Bill Saracino of Sacramento, who handles independent-expenditure campaigns for Republican candidates and causes.

National scandals have trickled down to local races in the past as media interest has focused attention on particular moral issues.

In the 1988 presidential race, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Gary Hart of Colorado saw his hopes buried by revelations of infidelity with Miami model Donna Rice. Later that year, the adultery question was raised against popular former Irvine Councilman David Baker during a candidate forum, helping to cripple his congressional hopes.

“The question is, when do character issues become more important than crime and taxes?” said Harvey Englander, a longtime Southern California consultant now affiliated with Democratic candidates.

Englander, based in Los Angeles, said questions of integrity always have resonated at some level with voters. “This stuff has always been going on. It’s just more visible now,” he said.

What could have more impact, several consultants said, is if Democratic voters become demoralized by the constant criticism of Clinton and don’t vote. That would be a factor in close races, such as the central Orange County seats where in 1996 Assemblyman Jim Morrissey (R-Santa Ana) won reelection by fewer than 100 votes and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) won by 984 votes.

“As a partisan Republican, I wish this was October, not January,” Saracino said last week.

But another consultant said he sees infidelity being a big issue in the primary because it is so much in the public consciousness now.

“It gives people permission to say, ‘What about you?’ ” said GOP consultant Frank Caterinicchio of Newport Beach.

Caterinicchio said he would advise everyone considering a run for office this year to reconsider if they have had extramarital affairs or other embarrassing incidents that might be exposed during a campaign. Voters who have been less interested in candidates’ personal lives in past elections will be more sensitized this time around, he said.

“When something occurs on the national level like this, it can be very detrimental to candidates who either are guilty of, or alleged to be guilty of, the same indiscretion,” said Caterinicchio, who is assisting Republican Deputy Dist. Atty. Peter Pierce in taking on Rep. Jay Kim (R-Diamond Bar). In campaigns he is involved with, he said, marital fidelity “is one of the things I’m going to be looking at.”

Eileen Padberg, a consultant based in Orange County, said she doesn’t expect to see any local politician open the door to discussing his or her own private life. Padberg’s current clients include Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters, who is running for county sheriff.

If a candidate tries to make “what people do in their marriages part of the campaign, then everyone is in trouble,” she said. “You invite scrutiny. Smoking marijuana is one thing, but when you start talking about sex life or family life, that is a dangerous place to go because we all live in glass houses.”

Besides, she said, “Americans don’t care about your sex life as long as you don’t throw it in their face.”

One big question, consultants agreed, is how long the Clinton allegations remain on the media front burner.

“It will probably give some boldness now” to those who want to raise infidelity as an issue, said veteran GOP consultant Kenneth L. Khachigian, a former speech writer for President Ronald Reagan and strategist for Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren, who is running for governor. “But will it still be in the public consciousness in June?”