COMMENTARIES ON THE EFFECTS OF THE 1992 GENERAL ELECTION : Democratic Party Revitalized Itself and Two-Party System Here : The record gains in voter registration and fund raising in the county fuel hope, and expectation, of more successes to come.
Oct. 22 was an historic moment in Orange County’s recent political history. I’ll never forget the mixture of feelings; elation, excitement, and awe, racing through me as I approached the microphone at the Pacific Amphitheater, and was greeted with the roar from 20,000 voices yelling, “Clinton, Clinton, Clinton!â€
That night I said the “Orange Curtain†fell. The crowd roared back its affirmation. And I will remember that moment as the symbolic rebirth of the two-party system in Orange County.
The Clinton rally at the Pacific Amphitheater was the high point of a year of revitalization for the Orange County Democratic Party. For the first time in a decade we reversed the registration trends, and actually out-registered the Republicans. We opened a dozen headquarters, and raised almost $300,000. All of these were record accomplishments for us, and provide a base for a more competitive party in the future.
Most importantly to our local party, Assemblyman Tom Umberg withstood everything the Orange County Republican Establishment could throw at him and won reelection on Nov. 3 with almost 60% of the vote. This is as good as it gets for a Democrat in Orange County. It puts Umberg in a very strong position should he decide to run for the state Senate seat about to be vacated by Edward R. Royce, who was elected to Congress.
Despite our moderate success at party building and reelecting Umberg, Orange County is still the center of the Republican Party in the United States. But, just a little less so. And that is our local Democratic Party’s greatest challenge, and our best opportunity in more than a decade.
The Nov. 3 election returns show us where these opportunities are, as well as highlighting our party’s weaknesses.
The most significant number in the Orange County election returns was Ross Perot’s vote. His 24% of the Orange County vote was much better than he did in either California or the nation. In this county, Perot’s voters were mostly Republicans jumping ship. Democrats have to provide a life raft Perot voters will want to get into. We need to bring them aboard.
How do we do this?
First, President-elect Clinton has to be successful. It is the President that sets the tone for his party. Our party has been frozen out at the presidential level, the nation’s most important forum, for a dozen years. Clinton’s success will be our success.
Second, we must continue to distinguish the differences between our party and the Republicans. Our message is clear. Economic investment in our people and infrastructure, personal responsibility, valuing families, tolerance and respect for individual choice, and making government work are at the core of the Democratic Party. The Republicans have lost their way and are divided. We’re not.
Third, we must recruit and encourage credible local Democratic candidates for partisan office. Our biggest failure in 1992 was our inability to find the strongest candidates and persuade them to run in districts where we could be competitive.
Most of the county’s Republican incumbents got free rides because Democratic candidates were unable to wage competitive campaigns. The Republicans should not take their reelections as a mandate. Many of them saw their winning margins reduced from past election years. With competitive Democratic candidates, who can raise resources, some of the Republicans who won reelection in 1992 will be gone in 1994.
Finally, our Democratic Party has to focus on the seats we can win. We can’t run competitively everywhere in the county. But there are three or four seats that are competitive. Robert K. Dornan has to go. Curt Pringle will be a one-termer, for the second time. Dana Rohrabacher won by less than expected, and he may be vulnerable.
But our first chance will be in the 34th State Senate District. The Republican incumbent, Royce, will vacate the seat in January, setting up the dynamics for a competitive special election.
This is our chance. All of our energy and resources must now be dedicated to finding the best Democratic candidate, and doing everything we can to elect her, or him, to the state Senate.
If we are successful, Orange County will really have two parties again, and that benefits everyone who lives here.
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