County’s Key Role in the Presidential Campaigns--the Money : To the Republicans, It’s Looking More Like a 2-Candidate Race

So far, the campaign for the hearts, the minds and the pocketbooks of Orange County Republicans in 1988 presidential politics is a two-candidate affair, with GOP leaders here queuing up behind Vice President George Bush and Rep. Jack F. Kemp of New York.

Still, there are other candidates not far off in the wings.

Even so, Orange County Republicans generally agree that the race for their party’s presidential nomination will be over well before the California primary next June 7.

Republican activists here are philosophical about the focus of their candidates on other parts of the country, knowing that any candidate who cannot weather the Iowa caucuses or the primaries in New Hampshire and the southern states will never make it to California anyway.

Focus on Eastern, Southern Primaries

“They have an agenda for their campaigns, which must focus on the eastern and southern primaries at this time,” said Tom Fuentes, Orange County Republican Party chairman. “They do come to California for money, and they do come here because there are a lot of national leadership people in Republican politics. But it’s early for involvement to be really intense.”

Bush has attracted the support of several major developers in the county, thus ensuring him solid financial backing here. Lining up on his side of the field are George L. Argyros of Arnel Development, Donald M. Koll, William Lyon and Donald L. Bren and Jack Flanigan of the Irvine Co.

Flanigan said the primary focus of the Bush campaign in California is fund raising. After a hugely successful fund-raiser at the Century Plaza in Los Angeles, at which $650,000 was raised, and another in San Diego, which raised $100,000, there will be others throughout the state, including one in Orange County, perhaps this fall, Flanigan said.

“We have found folks we have asked to participate very responsive, very receptive,” Flanigan said.

Argyros is considering taking a major role in Bush’s national campaign, according to former Orange County Supervisor Bruce Nestande, who now works for Argyros’ development firm.

“George (Argyros) is weighing that right now,” Nestande said. “There are a lot of quality candidates out there, but Bush stands out. The breadth and depth of experience he’s had is really unprecedented.”

Kemp, whose brother, Tom, lives in Laguna Beach, also has a solid base here, including the endorsements of several elected officials--Reps. William E. Dannemeyer of Fullerton and Daniel Lungren of Long Beach, Supervisor Harriett Wieder and Assemblywoman Doris Allen of Cypress--as well as sports figures O. J. Simpson and Jack Youngblood and businessmen Brandon Birtcher, John Cronin and Paul Salata. He is well liked here for his conservative fiscal ideas.

Joint Fund-Raiser

Birtcher recently held a buffet dinner for 450 people in San Juan Capistrano that raised $150,000 for Kemp. A joint fund-raiser for Kemp and Dannemeyer is planned for mid-October.

The Jack Kemp family has vacationed at the Tom Kemp family home many times, and Jack Kemp owned a residence in Costa Mesa in the 1960s.

“This is a natural area for Jack,” said Tom Kemp, 56, who retired as chairman of Coca-Cola in Los Angeles and president of Beatrice Grocery Group in Fullerton. “He has a lot of friends. It may not be the Establishment names, but the entrepreneurs, the younger people on the move are, I think, very dedicated to Jack Kemp’s ideas and vision of America.”

By contrast, Kansas Sen. Robert J. Dole is starting almost from scratch in Orange County. He will make his first visit in 11 years to Orange County for a you-all-come reception July 11 and a private brunch July 12.

“He doesn’t have the Southern California connections Jack Kemp does,” conceded political consultant Mike Nason, who is spearheading Dole’s campaign in Orange and San Diego counties. “But there is a large undecided (vote). I expect this place to get very, very exciting in a short amount of time.”

Laxalt Reception

There is minor activity here on behalf of former Nevada Sen. Paul Laxalt--for whom there is a reception planned on Wednesday with the Silver Circle, a Republican group--and some support is surfacing for television evangelist Pat Robertson. No Orange County campaign activities for former Delaware Gov. Pierre S. (Pete) du Pont IV or former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. have been disclosed so far.

All this will change as the campaigns progress. But even those people who have chosen their candidates early “aren’t going very far out on a limb,” said Greg Haskin, executive director of the county Republican Party..

“It’s a bold move to come out as strong as some people might early on,” he said, “but it’s also difficult because generating enthusiasm to put the organization together takes a lot of work. And it’s hard to do that if you can’t get the candidate out here as much as you want to generate the enthusiasm among the grass roots.

“That’s just the situation we’re stuck with, with our primary as late as it is.”