Davis Will Seek GOP Bid Against Cranston

State Sen. Ed Davis of Chatsworth will be seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1986 and will formally announce his candidacy next month, his campaign manager said Tuesday.

Martha Zilm, Davis’ longtime campaign manager and the person who will lead his U.S. Senate effort, said Davis will make it official on Feb. 11 at five press conferences around the state.

For several months, Davis has hinted that he would enter the race, regarding himself as the best-known Republican in the state capable of knocking off the Senate seat’s current incumbent, Democrat Alan Cranston, who will seek reelection.

Davis, 68, will likely face a large field of contenders for the nomination, possibly including Rep. Bobbi Fiedler (R-Northridge) who said last month that she would seek the nomination and then recanted, explaining that she will decide later.

Other Republicans with an eye on the Senate nomination are Assemblyman Robert Naylor (R-Menlo Park), Rep. William Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) and conservative economist Arthur Laffer.

Cranston, 70, who will be seeking a fourth six-year term, is considered vulnerable, at least by Republicans.

Cranston may face primary opposition from San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein.

Davis, a former Los Angeles police chief, won reelection to a second state Senate term in November, handily defeating his Democratic opponent by nearly 3 to 1. His conservative district includes parts of Tarzana, Canoga Park, Northridge, Chatsworth and Valencia and parts of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.