Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: California Republicans see hope in Senate race Date: Mon, 2 Nov 92 15:45:13 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION \HD California Republicans see hope in Senate race \BY Valerie Richardson \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES \DT SAN FRANCISCO SAN FRANCISCO - After hearing for months about the sure-fire Democratic landslide in California, beleaguered Republicans finally have a reason to turn up at the ballot box. With the latest Field Poll showing Republican Bruce Herschensohn in a dead heat with Democrat Barbara Boxer in the race for the six-year seat, California voters are revved up for an election-night nail-biter. The potential photo finish has helped the Herschensohn-Boxer contest live up to its billing as the most exciting in the nation. Since the two candidates upset their primary foes in June, political junkies have been salivating over the inevitable clash between the two outspoken ideological opposites. A former Los Angeles television commentator, Mr. Herschensohn is perhaps the most conservative Senate candidate in the nation, an articulate foe of big government, high taxes and congressional perks. He doesn't want to see defense spending cut, he hasn't seen any health care reforms he likes, and he wants to see Roe vs. Wade overturned. Mrs. Boxer, on the other hand, is among the most liberal of the Bay Area Democrats, which puts her squarely in the party's left wing. Rated the biggest spender in Congress by the National Taxpayers Union, she wants to see government invest more in health care and social programs. About the only area she favors cutting is defense, and she is solidly pro-choice. As a result, the race has become bigger than the both of them, a metaphorical wrestling match for California's future. A Herschensohn win could deal a perhaps fatal blow to the rise of the state's moderate wing, while a Boxer victory would revive the Democratic Party's underground liberal faction. The excitement surrounding Mr. Herschensohn, whom the Field Poll shows locked in a dead heat with Mrs. Boxer, could also help GOP Sen. John Seymour, who still trails Democrat Dianne Feinstein in the contest for the two-year seat. Analysts say that Republican voters who had given up on the GOP's prospects are now planning to turn out for conservative Mr. Herschensohn and will probably vote for President Bush and Mr. Seymour. "There are Herschensohn coattails, and if Seymour makes it, it's going to be because of Herschensohn", said one Republican campaign official. Mrs. Boxer disputed the recent poll which shows a dead heat. Over the weekend, however, political analysts were already analyzing her campaign's failures, a bad sign in any election. She was criticized for sitting on her early 20-point lead, campaigning only sporadically and letting Mr. Herschensohn run television ads for three weeks unanswered. As a result, she allowed him to define her as a left-wing extremist and portray himself as a rational alternative. "She has not evolved into a strong candidate - she's sat back and acted like she thought she was an incumbent,"said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the Claremont Graduate School. Although Mrs. Boxer has accused Mr. Herschensohn of moderating his opinions, most analysts disagree. "He hasn't changed his views - he's positioned her as far to the left, which makes him look closer to the center," Mrs. Jeffe said. Analysts say Mrs. Boxer has been a wide-open target. Her rash of bounced checks, her frequent use of limousines to the airport and her highly paid staff provided ample fodder for Herschensohn ads and attacks. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM