GOP Rivals Lower Sights as Wilson Runs for Governor

SACRAMENTO â€”  U.S. Sen. Pete Wilson’s decision to run for governor in 1990 has left several Orange County Republicans grappling with their political futures.

Several county political figures who had been considering the race for governor indicated Sunday that they will now focus on the lieutenant governor’s post and lesser statewide offices.

State Sens. William Campbell (R-Hacienda Heights), Marian Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) and John Seymour (R-Anaheim) and Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) all had expressed interest in running for statewide office before this weekend’s state Republican Party convention in Sacramento.

Competition for Posts

But with Wilson all but assured the GOP nomination for governor and Treasurer Thomas Hayes running to keep his post, available spots on the Republican ticket are beginning to dwindle.

Wilson’s decision, which he announced at the state GOP convention here Saturday night, may have hurt Ferguson the most. The fiery ex-Marine said he fears that other politicians, as they are bumped down the statewide political ladder, will kill any hopes he might have had of grabbing hold of one of the bottom rungs.

“I think things are going to filter down very quickly,� Ferguson said Sunday in an interview on the convention floor. “There can only be so many statewide races run out of Orange County. There is only so much money that people are willing to put forward.�

The state senators, Ferguson lamented, all have “free rides� in 1990, meaning that they can run for statewide office without risking their seats, because each was elected to a 4-year term last year.

“Probably two or three are going to run,� said Ferguson, who was interested in the post of controller or secretary of state. “If they do, I wouldn’t be able to run.�

The other three hopeful lawmakers all have advantages they intend to exploit.

Campbell, the Republican nominee for controller in 1986, is the only one of the three who has run a statewide campaign. Seymour, former president of the California Board of Realtors, has an extensive network of contacts who could be expected to help him raise money and find volunteers. Bergeson is one of the few women in California politics with the stature to consider a run for statewide office.

Campbell’s Plans

Although Campbell insists that he is still considering entering the governor’s race, few GOP insiders believe he is serious. Instead, they see him taking another shot at the controller’s post or running for lieutenant governor.

“I’ll have to look carefully at the lieutenant governor’s race,� Campbell said. “I’m getting a lot of pressure to slide down to lieutenant governor. But we’re still a year away from when you really have to bite the bullet. A lot of things can happen.�

Campbell said he fears that Wilson will try to put together a ticket early enough to discourage primary election opposition. He said he believes that contested primaries help the party add to its base of registered voters and volunteers.

“People say Pete is going to put a slate together,� Campbell said. “I think that would hurt Pete. There’s no room in the Republican Party for kingmakers.�

Bergeson said Wilson’s announcement won’t have much impact on her plans because she had “an intuitive feeling� that he would decide to return to state politics after 6 years in Washington. She said she remains interested in the lieutenant governor’s job.

Bergeson said she will take her time analyzing her chances of raising enough money to make a credible race.

“I don’t want to go on a kamikaze mission,� she said.

Seymour’s Options

Seymour left the convention early Sunday morning and could not be reached for comment. An aide, Donna Kingwell, said he will be studying his options during the next week.

“I don’t think there has been any question that Sen. Seymour is taking a look at statewide office,� she said. “But the catalyst had to occur before he could focus on it. That catalyst occurred Saturday night.�

Kingwell said Seymour must rule out a run for attorney general because he is not a lawyer, and he will not run against incumbent Hayes for treasurer. Secretary of state, she said, “is not very enticing.� That leaves controller and lieutenant governor, a mostly symbolic position that has in the recent past not even been useful as a political steppingstone.

But Seymour, as are many other Republicans, is considering the second spot because of hopes that Wilson, should he be elected, would make the lieutenant governor’s job a more meaningful position.

“He would have to make sure there was a role for him as lieutenant governor,� Kingwell said. “There would have to be a challenge.�

Possible Contenders

Other Orange County figures mentioned as possible candidates include County Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez, businesswoman Angela Bay Buchanon and former Rep. Daniel E. Lungren.

Vasquez said Saturday that he has been urged by some fellow Republicans to run for lieutenant governor but that, as of now, he intends to remain in his post as a supervisor in the 3rd District.

Several sources said Sunday that Buchanon, formerly U.S. treasurer, is seriously considering challenging Hayes, who had never registered as a Republican before Gov. George Deukmejian appointed him treasurer last year.

Buchanon could not be reached for comment Sunday, but Hayes confirmed in an interview that Buchanon told him Saturday night that she might run against him in the Republican primary.

“I told her I thought that would be counterproductive,� said Hayes, who since his appointment has adopted the Republican Party with a convert’s zeal. On Sunday, in a speech to the convention, he bashed Democrats and their new state chairman, former Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr., as well as any lifelong Republican.

Lungren, who is considered a potential candidate for attorney general, has said he will wait several more months before deciding whether to run for statewide office.