Rep. Campbell Eyes Run Against Feinstein

Rep. Tom Campbell (R-San Jose) is expected to announce plans today to establish an exploratory committee for a U.S. Senate campaign, positioning himself as the best-known Republican challenger to Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein in next year’s election.

Campbell, 47, is a moderate Republican who often strays from his party leadership in Congress and has been pushed to enter the race by some of the California financial backers of Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the front-runner for the GOP’s presidential nomination. The Bush supporters argue that Feinstein’s other potential Republican challengers are too conservative and that Campbell could run the strongest race against her, which in turn could help the party’s fortunes in the fight for California’s 54 electoral votes.

Campbell is scheduled to make his announcement at a Capitol Hill news conference, but he privately informed his California GOP colleagues of his plans at a luncheon last week.

In a typically iconoclastic move, Campbell paid a courtesy visit to Feinstein about a month ago to inform her of his possible candidacy.

“He said he had to talk to his wife first but wanted [Feinstein] to know he was thinking about running against her,” an aide to the senator said.

A source close to Campbell said the congressman would stop short of formally entering the race today because he wants time to make sure of the support and money he could attract. But the source said he would be surprised if Campbell did not follow through with an announcement of his candidacy by early December.

Campbell declined to comment Monday.

In a race against Feinstein, Campbell would enjoy name recognition--he came close to claiming the GOP Senate nomination in 1992 and wrote the successful 1996 initiative that established California’s open primary system--and connections to Silicon Valley donors.

But in Feinstein he would face a Democratic incumbent who raised $2.8 million during the first six months of this year--more than any other senator seeking reelection--and is a strong favorite to win reelection.

A recent Field Poll showed Feinstein besting Campbell by 55% to 30%, with 15% undecided. Campbell, however, fared better than any other possible GOP challengers.

Campbell’s entry would expand a GOP field that includes Palo Alto entrepreneur Ron Unz, San Diego County Supervisor Bill Horn, state Sen. Ray Haynes of Riverside, and Orange County businessman J.P. Gough.

“I hope they have a very spirited primary and that they point out all of each other’s flaws,” Feinstein campaign manager Kam Kuwata said Monday.

Republican strategists said Campbell could benefit from the open primary process that lets voters cast ballots for a candidate of any party. His centrist record could draw votes from independents and moderate and conservative Democrats, increasing his chances of winning the GOP nomination.

GOP consultant Allan Hoffenblum said he recently attended the state Republican Party convention in Orange County and was “surprised how many hard-core conservatives said they could live with Tom Campbell because they think he would be a good match with George W. Bush.”

Campbell combines fiscal conservatism with support for abortion rights, gun control and environmental protections. He is best known in Congress for his streak of independence.

He broke from the pack to vote against Newt Gingrich’s bid for a second term as House speaker, and was one of only four Republicans to support President Clinton’s early veto of a GOP welfare-reform bill in 1995.

But he supported the two articles of impeachment against Clinton that the House approved in December. He said he had concluded that the president had lied to a federal grand jury, adding: “I cannot trust him again.”

Because of that vote, Campbell faced a potentially tough reelection campaign in his swing district.

Campbell--a constitutional law professor at Stanford University--first won election to Congress from the San Jose area in 1988. He gave up his seat in 1992 to run for the Senate, narrowly losing the GOP primary to conservative Bruce Herschensohn, who lost the general election to Democrat Barbara Boxer. Campbell won election to the state Senate in 1993, then won his current House seat in a 1995 special election.

“Some people believe if he had been the Republican nominee, Barbara Boxer would have never been elected,” said Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-San Diego).

“The one thing he’s known for is not being a party hack,” Bilbray added.

Campbell’s expected decision to run for the Senate would cause further trouble for Republicans struggling to hold onto their tenuous, five-seat House majority.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, a former state GOP chairman, said he hopes Campbell ultimately shies away from the Senate race. “I would urge him to run for reelection,” Antonovich said. “One of the problems is the vulnerability of his congressional district.”

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Times staff writers Faye Fiore in Washington and Greg Krikorian in Los Angeles contributed to this story.