Democratic Spotlight Lets Thierbach Shine--but Gives Off Heat

Maybe it is because the hopes of the hapless Orange County Democratic Party are pinned on Christian F. (Rick) Thierbach’s campaign for the 72nd Assembly District. Or maybe it is because his election is viewed as a top priority by Democrats who want to keep control of the Assembly.

For whatever reason, as Jimmy Durante used to say, everybody wants to get into the act. And, as the more current joke goes, that’s the good news and the bad news for Thierbach, 38, of Anaheim, a Riverside County deputy district attorney.

Thierbach is the Democratic half of a race that took a bizarre turn when the one-term Republican incumbent, Richard E. Longshore, 62, of Santa Ana, died the day after the June 7 primary. After a scramble for a candidate that began even as Longshore was being buried, GOP leaders on July 21 selected Curt Pringle, a 29-year-old political newcomer whose name identification in the district stems primarily from three losses in running for Garden Grove City Council.

Even before Longshore’s death, the race was a high-profile one for Democrats, who have long thought that with the right candidate--and Thierbach was viewed as that candidate--the party could recapture the 72nd District. It is the only legislative district in the county in which Democrats outnumber Republicans, and it traditionally has been represented by a Democrat. According to figures obtained Friday from the registrar of voters, the district’s Democratic edge of 52.9% to 37.8% is nearly the opposite of the countywide Republican margin of 54.2% to 35.4%.

“Rick Thierbach represents for us the comeback of the Democratic Party in Orange County,” Democratic activist Howard Adler said Thursday at a $75-per-person fund-raiser that drew more than 200 Democrats to the Anaheim Stadium Club.

At the same event, which raised about $30,000 for Thierbach, county Democratic leader Richard J. O’Neill prompted a laugh from the candidate when he bluntly announced: “Rick’s going to win easy.”

‘I Hope You’re Right’

“That’s the first time in my life I ever heard anyone express the opinion that a Democrat was going to win easy in Orange County,” Thierbach said as O’Neill turned the platform over to him. “I hope you’re right.”

Thierbach, a member of the Anaheim Union school board, went on to give a sample of what can be expected of him during the campaign: a blast at Republicans who he says “don’t care” about the crime and social problems of the district. “I care,” Thierbach said. “I’ll make it my problem and I’ll try to solve it.”

But, perhaps because so many hopes are pinned on him, Thierbach has been subjected to a lot of second-guessing as to how to run his campaign. The primary thrust of this criticism is that Thierbach has been slow to act, particularly in the six-week period when he had no opponent.

While calling Thierbach “undoubtedly a potentially exceptional candidate,” Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Mike Roos (D-Los Angeles) was among those who said that there was a “lost opportunity” after Longshore’s death.

“You had the tragic and unusual circumstances of there being no representative at all and no nominee from any other party,” Roos said. “Thierbach could have seized the opportunity to say, ‘Look, let me be your representative when there is none.’ ”

“He should have been out doing a lot more than he was doing during that lull,” said another active Democrat, who asked not to be identified. “He thinks people are going to throw money at him, since he’s the big race in the county. I think he’s just realizing he has to go out and earn it.”

Thierbach and his political consultants, Kim Karie and Richard Lichtenstein of Marathon Communications, said Thierbach has been walking precincts since June. They also said that much of the campaign organizing has been done behind the scenes and that limited resources--including the candidate’s time, since he has continued his work as a prosecutor--needed to be carefully allocated.

“What else could I have done?” Thierbach asked. He would have liked to have had the money to send out campaign mail in June and July. “It was more important for me to get out and meet as many voters individually as I could, and keep the expenses down, than blanket the district with mail,” he said.

‘Could Have Been Out Walking’

Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sepulveda), who is taking an active interest in the campaign, said Thierbach “could have been out walking a little earlier.” But Katz added, “on the other hand, it’s summertime, and the public at large doesn’t focus on elections until the fall. . . . In terms of the election, I don’t think it makes a big difference.”

What Katz, Roos and other legislative Democratic leaders think of Thierbach’s campaign is important because Thierbach could be in for some substantial help from the Democratic Caucus--if he mounts an aggressive campaign.

In fact, the biggest question of the campaign at this point is: How much money will Thierbach get from Speaker Willie Brown? So far, Thierbach has raised on his own about $80,000 for the race, which he expects to cost about $600,000. Republicans have said they will try to raise $750,000 for Pringle.

“I think Thierbach is enough of a realist to understand that there is a limited number of resources. Thierbach knows that he has to prove that he can win,” said Katz, who added, “I don’t have any doubt that he is going to be able to do that.” Thierbach has already submitted his campaign plan to Sacramento in the hope that it will generate some assistance.

Unlike similar targeted races in earlier years, Democrats in Sacramento are not offering the services of a political consultant. This method was dropped after it was found that it did not work well to run the show from afar.

‘Ultimate Control’

In any case, Thierbach has made it clear that he will maintain “ultimate, final control over my campaign,” even if that means that no money is forthcoming from the Democratic Caucus.

“When I hear things like the leadership will get involved,” Thierbach said, “that’s fine. But if I don’t like what they’re proposing, then . . . it’s not going to be done.”

Lichtenstein added: “We’re prepared to run the campaign with or without Sacramento. And we’re going to win with or without Sacramento.” But at the same time, he said, “we want them to be enthusiastic about the campaign and interested in what we’re doing.”

While always viewed as a strong challenger to Longshore, Thierbach’s stock went up when the seat became available and Pringle was chosen as the GOP candidate. Democrats had feared that Republicans would pick Longshore’s widow, Linda, who had built-in name identification in the district, or Brian Bennett, chief of staff for Rep. Robert K. Dornan of Garden Grove. Bennett was viewed as extremely bright and a formidable campaigner.

County Campaign a Priority

But besides feeling lucky at the choice of an opponent, Orange County Democrats were also buoyed by the national convention in Atlanta and the prospect of a Democratic nominee, Michael S. Dukakis, who has vowed to make California--and Orange County--a high priority in November. Any efforts for Dukakis, especially voter registration and getting out the vote, are bound to help such local Democrats as Thierbach.

All of this has left many Democrats, such as O’Neill, with a sort of amazed cocksureness about Thierbach’s chances in November.

“We’re going to win this time,” O’Neill said. “It’s not baloney. It’s real.”

In introducing Thierbach, O’Neill, with his customary bluntness, noted that it was “very unusual” to find so many Democrats at a fund-raiser in Orange County.

“Two years ago, we couldn’t pay a group this large to be here,” he said. “I hope this is just a start, that we can roll on from here and grab some of this county back for us.

“We had to get started somewhere, and we couldn’t get started with a better man than Rick.”