GOP Primary Features Bitter Rivals From ’95

With little more than five weeks to go before the March 26 primary, a relative quiet reigns over the Republican race for the 35th state Senate district.

Few expect it to last.

The stage in the sprawling coastal district is set for a rematch of last year’s heated battle between two veteran Republican legislators, incumbent state Sen. Ross Johnson of Irvine and former Assemblyman Gil Ferguson of Newport Beach.

Last time around, Ferguson lost a nasty primary campaign to Johnson, his longtime Assembly colleague, in the special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Marian Bergeson, who became a county supervisor. The race was marked by a barrage of political mud, in the form of mailers, hit pieces and angry words.

Most observers, as well as the candidates themselves, expect more to be flung this time.

“I’m sure [Johnson] will spend a lot of money to try to destroy my name and record and try to win this election,” said Ferguson, who represented the 70th Assembly District from 1984 to 1994.

Johnson, in turn, says he is prepared to answer any negative campaign tactics that Ferguson employs. “I certainly don’t intend to simply be attacked,” he said. “If I am attacked, I will respond.”

But neither candidate so far has made the kinds of angry political accusations that marked their last contest.

“We’re all waiting for Gil to drop the first shoe,” political consultant Dan Wooldridge said. “This is a race where a lot of people had the feeling that Gil was going to come out slashing and burning and cutting, but there’s no evidence of that yet.

“That’s not to say it won’t happen,” Wooldridge added. “But it looks like Gil’s either burrowing into his grass roots [support], or he hasn’t been able to attract the kind of money he needs.”

One Democrat and one candidate representing the Natural Law Party also will be on primary ballots in the 35th District, which stretches along the coast from Seal Beach past Laguna. Democrat Madelene Arakelian, a businesswoman from Balboa, and Natural Law Party candidate Nat Adam, a civil engineer from Irvine, are running uncontested in the primaries. Both will be on the general election ballot in November.

In the only other state Senate race in Orange County, state Sen. John R. Lewis (R-Orange) is running uncontested in the March primary. He will face Democrat David Robert Heywood, of Orange, in the November election.

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In the 35th, Ferguson makes no bones about why he’s running against Johnson, a well-funded former colleague who enjoys the support of most prominent local Republicans. The race against Johnson is a straightforward political grudge match, Ferguson says.

“Had he simply beaten me last time by spending money and talking about how great he was, I wouldn’t be here [in this election] now,” said Ferguson. “On the issues, we’re probably pretty much right down the line. He’s a conservative and so am I.”

Both have stressed their records as conservative Republicans who have tried to cut taxes, create jobs and improve the California business climate during their tenures in the legislature.

But their bitter rivalry threatens to overwhelm the issues.

Last year, Johnson seized on allegations that Ferguson had encouraged former Assemblyman Paul Horcher, a Republican-turned-independent from Diamond Bar, to cast the vote that kept Willie Brown as speaker of the Assembly. Ferguson denied that contention.

In turn, the former Newport Beach legislator characterized Johnson as a carpetbagger who “abandoned” his constituents by continuing to represent his 72nd Assembly District even after he moved from Placentia to Irvine to run for the Senate seat.

This time, political observers say, Johnson can be expected to target Ferguson’s stalwart support for controversial former Assemblywoman Doris Allen, the Cypress Republican who cut a deal with Brown and Assembly Democrats to install her as speaker for several months last year. Allen eventually resigned that post, and subsequently lost her Assembly seat in a bitter recall election in November.

But last week, Johnson appeared to be trying to remain above the fray, saying he plans to focus on his record as the campaign heats up. So far, he said, he has appeared at community groups and made other appearances in the district, but has not spent much time on a formal campaign.

“I’m just running on the basis of my record of service and the issues I’m working on: crime, taxes, efforts to improve the business climate and reform welfare,” he said.

Johnson has been endorsed by Gov. Pete Wilson, county supervisors Bergeson and Jim Silva, and every Orange County Republican legislator.

Ferguson, however, has tried to turn his opponent’s formidable political support into a liability, saying it is the result of what he calls the Orange County Republican Party “machine.”

“I was part of that machine, remember?” he asks. “Having been in politics 10 years, I can tell you the arrogance of people who represent a one-party town is unsurpassed. They really feel like they almost don’t need the voter. They just need a lot of money.

“This will be a match of my legions of supporters versus his money. And either way, I’m going to win. Either I’ll win outright or I will have done what I wanted to do and offered voters a choice.”

So far, Johnson has outspent Ferguson by about 2 to 1. Ferguson has spent about $12,400, according to campaign finance reports filed last week.

Johnson’s records show that he has spent about $23,400 since the campaign began.

“I intend to spend whatever it takes to win,” Johnson said.

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Election Rivals

Two veteran legislators are waging a political battle in the Republican primary for the 35th Senate District. One Democrat and one Natural Law Party representative also are running for the seat, but are unopposed in the March 26 primary election.

Gil Ferguson

Age: 72

Party: Republican

Occupation: Businessman and former assemblyman, 70th District

Residence: Newport Beach

Education: USC

On the Issues

Government: “I’m calling for a return to a part-time Legislature. They only work about five months anyway. . . . I believe there ought to be bill limitation and their pay should be reduced back down to around $50,000 a year; it’s up around $80,000 now. . . . I’d like to see legislators spend more time in their districts and on oversight of state agencies.”

Economics: “I’m very concerned about economic and job growth. I introduced bills on regulatory and tax relief to stimulate new business, and I want to keep doing that.”

Crime: “I want to continue working for legislation calling for the lifetime hospitalization behind bars of registered sex offenders.”

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Ross Johnson

Age: 56

Party: Republican

Occupation: State senator, 35th District; former assemblyman, 72nd District

Residence: Sacramento and Irvine

Education: Cal State Fullerton, Western State University College of Law

On the Issues

Workplace Safety: “One of my priorities is a measure which would eliminate the requirement that the Cal-OSHA standards board would adopt ergonomics standards for the workplace. It would cost California billions of dollars and is based on no firm scientific understanding of how to prevent repetitive motion injuries.”

Government: “Another is a measure to try to prevent local governments in California from using tax money when they’re fighting in court to overturn statewide ballot initiatives approved by the voters. This is obviously a response to what’s happened with Proposition 187.”

Crime: “I’m introducing legislation to allow information regarding persons for whom outstanding arrest warrants exist to be posted on the Internet.”

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Times staff writer Antonio Olivo contributed to this report.