European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 3, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse The stars and stripes tuesday. June 3. 1986 columns &cpmment3 Tom Wicker Illinois Brouhaha could have tar reaching effects. someone asked an aide to Adlai of. cd if inc results of the Illinois dam Coralic primary on March in when to followers of Lyndon in Rouchie up Sci two of Stevenson s ticket males was a Blessing in if so the aide replied it s Ilic mini disguised bless inc \ Ever saw the nomination of the two for lieutenant governor and Secretary of slate forced Stevenson who Wun inc Nomi nation for governor to resign from the democratic ticket rallies than run in har Ness with them. This brought National at Tention to the Illinois excl tins and a spurt of out of Staic contributions to Stevenson. His new. Handpicked running mates also May be somewhat stronger than the Pany regulars who lost on is. But Stevenson s tosses Dwarf such mar Ginal gains lie has been transformed from probable front runner against gov. James r. Thompson a Republican to a candidate trailing by 10 Points a Candi Das Al that who will be on the ballot Nen november tiny As a third fully candid at. is hardly appealing in this partisan slate where the Chicago wards traditionally deliver the pin nil for a straight demo cratic ticket. Not everyone in Illinois moreover regards the Laroue hic victories As the Fluke the Ste Venson Camp likes to picture. Stevenson should have foreseen inc danger some say since his original running males. George Sang Ulster and Aurclia Pucinski did not form a Strong ii Sci therefore he a humid have campaigned harrier and longer before the primary instead of hardly Al All. If that s Hindsight it s still damaging. Worse. Democrats ill find it complicated to support the Stevenson ticket Anil still vote for the other party candidates. Thai will require a voter to punch the com Puteri cil ballot three times once far the learn of Stevenson and Michael Howell or. A circuit judge now running for Lieuten ant governor once for Jane Spirgel a do Page county commissioner on the Sieven som ticket for Secretary of Hale and once for democratic candidates for other offices. some regular democrats David Broder distributed by King features Syndicate May Stii a with the Slraight ticket As usual. Larou chies or no la Rouchis spurning Ste Venso never a favorite if the regulars and his running mates of Stevenson fans May vote Only inc third parly line forget Ting or disdaining to Vuic for regular demo cratic candidates on inc party line. Or if Volcks have to split i hair votes anyway some May choose Thompson plus the truncated Crno Craitic ticket some May even Back Stevenson s Szalc but the Republican nominees for Oiher offices. The problem is compounded be cause Stevenson and the it morals will have 10 concentrate on educating the voters about ballot complications that will Inke time and Money they d a Alicr spend on making the Case against an incumbent Al most 10 years in office in a slate thais suffered recently from High unemployment cutbacks in education and rising Utility rates. In their 1982 race Thompson Defeated Stevenson by Only Aboul 5,000 put of 3.5 Butts one reason was his Promise not to Call for a lax increase. Only a few weeks afr the election no proposed the largest Lak increase in Illinois history an act the democrats do not intend to let the voters forget. All this has significant National political in plications most immediately in their Effort to Lake control of the United slates Snail inc democrats need to re elect sen. Alan Dixon but he s still on Whai s left of he democratic ticket and could suffer from vote split Ting confusion or aversion to the la Rouchien running with him. The party that elects a governor in this Pivotal slate could improve ils i9bk presiden tial Vole prospects. Thompson is promising that if re elected hell go All out to elect a Republican mayor of Chicago net year an up Sci that would surely Dampen democratic presidential chances it s unlikely but not impossible in View of the continuing fight be tween mayor Harold Washingion and Alder Man Edward Vrdolyak. Such a feat to Cap a fourth term would make Thompson a prime Republican Vicc Prospect. And if Adlai Stevenson can snatch Victory from tic jaws of All his troubles not least a recent Back injury from falling off a horse All those democrats in search of a ticket for 88 might put Springfield Back on the itinerary. California Senate race could be key Tor democrats los Angeles Alicr months of he California senatorial race has begun moving in a direction that could help republicans lock up control of inc Senate through the rest of president Reagan s second term. The latest California poll showed that the 10-Way con test in the june 3 primary to pick a Republican opponent for sen. Alan Cranston d-calif., is becoming a two Man race. The two lop contenders and the Only ones making sizable gains since the previous poll Are los Angeles television commentator Bruce Herschensohn a staunch conservative and rep. De Zschau a political moderate and High tech millionaire from Silicon Valley. was the Choice of Only i percent of the republicans sampled and Zschau of Only 15 percent sharing Hal figure with state sen de Davis a former los Angeles police chief who had led some of the Early polls. That is hardly intimidating. But the others in the Field including rep. Bobbi fied Ler los Angeles county supervisor Mike Art Lonovich and economist Arthur Laffer were in single digits. A Long time Republican Campaign consultant Neutral in the race told me the Money will move now to Herschin Sohn and Zschau. And they will pull with his los Angeles base Ond hard line conservative ideology Herschensohn would seem to have the Edge on Zschau who comes from the Bay area and like Many of its republicans deviates from some of the Reagan administration foreign policy defense and social Issue stands. But Zschau has run a smart Campaign. He had to spend Money Early on is teaching people How to pronounce his name it s like the first syllable of Shower. With backing from David Packard and other High tech moguls he has More in the Bank for his closing to Blitz than anyone else in the race. Although inc settings seem very different this Campaign reminds me of the 1978 senatorial Battle in Massachusetts. There a Young moderate democratic Congress Man named Paul Tsongas came from behind to win the nomination after to ads taught voters outside his District How to say his name. In the fall he went on to upset sen. Edard w. Brooke until then the unbeatable Republican in a democratic state. Cranston s position in 1986 is not unlike Brooke s in 1978. He s been around a Long Lime. He has breezed through three consecutive senatorial elections when other democrats on the ticket were gelling clobbered. Cranston has been fortunate in the opposition he has drawn. His opponents have All been right wingers with limited qualifications to protect California s vital interests in Washington. . Hirschensohn is More articulate than past Cranston challengers but he s cast from the same ideological Mold. Zschau is a different Breed of cat. Like Tsongas in his Lime the second term congressman has impressed House colleagues of both parties with Hii brains and hard work. He could undercut much of the business and Independent support which Cranston has enjoyed in the past and that is exactly How tsp Gas scaled Brooke. Brooke was Laru shed in that Las Campaign by some personal scandals. Cranston carries no such Burden. But his losing Effort for the 1984 democratic presidential nomination in which he dyed his fringe of hair Orange and Well to the left of Waller Mondale on Many issues did not enhance Cranston s standing with Home stale constituents. There i a feeling Here Hal he May be Ripe for an upset. The California race could be the key to control of the Senate. Republicans May Well need to Cal one demo cratic incumbent to lock in their majority. They have a 53-47 Edge now and have a Good Chance of picking up two democratic vacancies. Polls show rep. W. Henson Moore r leading rep. John Breaux d in Louisiana where Democrat incumbent Russell a Long is retiring republicans have at least a 50-Io Chance of winning in Missouri where i gov. Christopher kill Bond r is Likely to face la. Gov. Harrick Wax ads a for the Seal being vacated by sen. Thomas f. Eagleton d. Bui with republicans facing a divisive Ihrck Way Pri Mary. Rep. Tim Wertli is favored to Recti Gary Hart s Colorado scat in democratic hands. Earlier Republican Hopes that in gov. Dick Snelling would Cal sen. Patrick Leahy d in Vermont have faded. Thai makes Cranston appear inc most vulnerable Democrat seeking re Clec Lioti. If the Odis hold in those races and inc republicans could beat Cranston then democrats would have to win seven of the 22 Republican held scats on the ballot in november in order to come out with a 51-49 Edge in Senate. That is a Large order considering that barely a dozen of those seals look at All vulnerable and that in almost All of them the republicans will have a substantial financial Edge. On the other hand if Cranston can hold on Here and Wirth. Woods and Breaux can hold the Ihrck democratic vacancies then the Odds on a democratic Senate improve dramatically. Today Zschau and Hirschensohn Are not household names even in California. By november one of them May be very Well known indeed and the hero or goal of the National gop. To 1s6. The Wastion Glinin poll
