Feinstein Has Big Lead in Low-Key Senate Race

Six years after she narrowly won reelection in a race that drew national attention, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein faces Republican Rep. Tom Campbell in a little-watched contest that she has led from the outset.

Far better known and far better financed than her San Jose opponent, California’s senior senator has pushed her case for another term by stressing her legislative record, especially on gun control and the environment. In addition to emphasizing her years in government, Feinstein, 67, has stressed her bipartisanship on matters such as foreign policy.

Campbell, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1992, began this campaign late last year and easily defeated two conservatives in the March primary. But after winning the Republican nomination, the 48-year-old congressman had a difficult time galvanizing his party, which has been pummeled in statewide elections in recent years.

While applauding his fiscal conservatism, the party’s conservative wing has been critical of Campbell’s socially moderate views; he supports abortion rights and gun control.

But Campbell pushed forward, embracing an iconoclast’s agenda with the notion of forming a coalition of Republicans, independents and disaffected Democrats.

From campaign finance reform to revamping the war on drugs by emphasizing treatment rather than prison, Campbell embarked on an issues-driven course. And although that course has been undeniably risky, it might have been the only one he had available, given his lack of money and relative anonymity among voters.

Compared with 1994, when Feinstein’s opponent, former Republican Rep. Michael Huffington of Santa Barbara, spent a then-record $30 million, Campbell has raised and spent only about $5 million. Feinstein has raised and spent nearly twice that.

And month after month, polls have shown Feinstein with a double-digit lead over Campbell. Significantly, the most recent Times poll, conducted in mid-October, showed Campbell was unknown to more than half of voters.

Senate Candidates

TOM CAMPBELL

Political affiliation: Republican

Born: Aug. 14, 1952, Chicago

Residence: San Jose

Current position: Congressman

Education: Law degree, Harvard, 1976. PhD in economics, University of Chicago, 1980

Career highlights: Former state senator from the Silicon Valley; Stanford law professor since 1987; as congressman, voted for impeachment of President Clinton and against continued House speakership of Newt Gingrich; pushed for California’s open primary

Family: Married 23 years, no children

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DIANNE FEINSTEIN

Political affiliation: Democrat

Born: June 22, 1933, San Francisco

Residence: San Francisco

Current position: U.S. senator

Education: Bachelor’s degree, history, Stanford University

Career highlights: San Francisco Board of Supervisors, 1970-78; San Francisco mayor, 1978-88; Democratic nominee for California governor, 1990; U.S. Senate, 1992-present. Championed ban on assault weapons

Family: Married; one daughter, three stepdaughters, two grandchildren

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Other Candidates for U.S. Senate

Medea Susan Benjamin, 48, San Francisco

Green Party

Founding director, Global Exchange human rights group

Gail Katherine Lightfoot, 63, Arroyo Grande

Libertarian Party

Retired nurse

Jose Luis “Joe” Camahort, 62, San Jose

Reform Party

Retired engineer/scientist

Brian M. Rees, 46, San Luis Obispo

Natural Law Party

Physician

Diane Beall Templin, 53, Escondido

American Independent Party

Attorney

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Senate Issues

Key areas of contention between Democratic U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and her Republican rival, Rep. Tom Campbell.

EDUCATION:

CAMPBELL:

Vouchers: Favors experimental plan giving vouchers to poorest 10%.

Federal Role: Would limit federal role, or make federal government pay for mandated programs.

School Safety: Wants harsher sentences for those caught dealing drugs on campus.

Teacher Compensation: Backs performance-based pay.

School Bonds: Would reduce vote needed for passage from two-thirds to 55% majority.

Class Size: Thinks reducing class size is where money should go first.

FEINSTEIN:

Vouchers: Opposes Proposition 38.

Federal Role: Thinks federal role is to inspire reform.

School Safety: Says keeping schools safe from drugs and guns is a priority.

Teacher Compensation: Wants $20,000 pay boost for master teachers.

School Bonds: Also supports 55% standard to raise money for new schools.

Class Size: Wants to keep class and school sizes small.

TAXATION:

CAMPBELL:

Taxes: Would replace federal income tax with 20% national sales tax, exempting food, medical care and housing.

Taxing the Internet: Opposes taxing access to the Internet but favors taxing online sales.

Tax Cuts: Supported GOP’s $790-billion tax cut vetoed by President Clinton.

Federal Surplus: Calls surplus illusory; says most of it is Social Security funds. Would not earmark surplus for government programs or big tax cut; would invest it in bonds for airports, roads, etc.

FEINSTEIN:

Taxes: Opposes national sales tax.

Taxing the Internet: Opposes any Internet tax until a national panel determines effect on the economy.

Tax Cuts: Opposed GOP plan.

Federal Surplus: Would use surplus to improve education, health care, other services. Opposes use of surplus for large tax cuts.

HEALTH CARE:

CAMPBELL: The Uninsured: Wants the federal government to negotiate with managed care providers to cover the uninsured.

Medicare: Wants to limit the growth of Medicare by allowing the system to expand only to keep up with inflation and population increases. That would allow a 43% increase over the next seven years, compared to the currently projected 94% increase, doubling the period of time before bankruptcy.

Quality of Care: Would allow doctors to organize to bargain with HMOs to gain the ability to practice their profession as they see fit. He criticizes Norwood-Dingell patients bill of rights in the House as too expensive, and opposes any move toward national health care.

Prescription coverage: Would add pharmaceutical coverage to Medicare coverage for the poor, the cost of which would be at least $16 billion a year. Says premiums should be income-related.

Holding Down Costs: Besides advocating increased competition among care providers and capping payments to the states by the federal government, favors tort reform. Under a ‘modified English rule,’ a losing plaintiff would pay the legal costs of the defense, up to the amount of his own lawyer costs. This is meant to deter frivolous lawsuits, which he says add 20% to malpractice insurance costs for doctors, who then pass them on to patients.

FEINSTEIN:

The Uninsured: Says only about 50% of those eligible are enrolled in the Healthy Families program, which provides health care to poor children for a maximum of $27 a month. Says more should be done to enroll children, as well as their parents.

Medicare: Says money left in the budget surplus after bailing out Social Security should be set aside for Medicare.

Quality of Care: Supports a patients bill of rights, in particular the Norwood-Dingell, to allow emergency room visits without prior authorization from an HMO, provide for greater access to specialists, and guarantee access to obstetric and gynecological care without authorization.

Prescription Coverage: Would also add drug coverage to Medicare. The added costs would be funded by the surplus.

Holding Down costs: Suggests that many extra costs could be covered by state and federal surpluses, and that money could be saved by expanding low-cost insurance to reduce the number of emergency room visits by the uninsured. Also advocates capping punitive damage awards in lawsuits against hospitals and doctors.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE:

CAMPBELL:

Death Penalty: Supports capital punishment and proposed it for discharging a firearm in commission of felony or dealing drugs to children under 12. Once opposed increasing the number of federal crimes subject to the death penalty because of concerns about due process.

Gun Control: Supports gun controls but says state registration and licensing are sufficient. Believes the same holds true for laws on concealed weapons.

Drug Laws: Supports significant increase in drug treatment programs and tougher punishment for drug dealers.

U.S. Drug Policy: Opposes U.S. intervention to fight drug lords in Colombia, saying it could lead to another Vietnam War.

Proposition 36: Supports initiative that would send nonviolent drug offenders to treatment rather than prison, arguing that too many people - many of them minorities - are now being imprisoned.

FEINSTEIN: Death Penalty: Supports capital punishment. A onetime opponent of the death penalty, she is now a strong proponent and authored a law making carjacking a capital crime when it results in a death.

Gun Control: Supports tough legislation to restrict guns and championed passage of a landmark ban on assault weapons. Continues to push for federal gun registration and licensing.

Drug Laws: Supports increase in drug treatment programs but also favors tougher drug laws, including those on possession.

U.S. Drug Policy: Supports recent decision by Congress to spend up to $1.3 billion to fight drug lords in Colombia.

Proposition 36: Opposes the initiative. Believes drug courts are working and judges should not be limited in their sentencing options.

FOREIGN POLICY:

CAMPBELL:

Foreign Aid: Would redirect aid from countries with strong economies, including Israel, to relief agencies providing food, shelter, medicine to Third World nations.

Missile Defense: Endorses space-based missile defense system like that championed by former President Ronald Reagan.

China: Supports normal trade relations with China as means of competing with Europe’s trade agreements with the world’s biggest nation. But sees China as a military threat.

Military Interventions: Calls Clinton administration too quick to send U.S. troops overseas. Sued president over Kosovo. Opposed decision to provide military advisors to combat drugs in Colombia.

FEINSTEIN:

Foreign Aid: Would not cut foreign aid to Israel or other military allies. Would examine increasing foreign aid to impoverished nations.

Missile Defense: Opposes moving forward with missile defense system, noting its failed tests. Says it could jeopardize arms treaties.

China: Supports normal trade relations with China as best means of improving relations and pressuring it to improve its human rights record.

Military Interventions: Supported U.S. intervention in Kosovo, and U.S. aid package to Colombia.