Herschensohn Considers Bid for Cox’s Seat : Politics: Conservative former TV commentator and two-time loser in Senate races says he may move to Orange County as 1994 congressional candidate if Cox seeks higher office as expected.

Bruce Herschensohn, last year’s Republican U.S. Senate nominee and a former conservative television commentator in Los Angeles, still has Washington politics on his mind, saying Thursday that he is exploring a bid for Congress next year.

Herschensohn said he has been encouraged by Orange County Republican leaders as well as his onetime employer, former President Richard M. Nixon, to seek a congressional seat in Newport Beach expected to be left vacant when Rep. Christopher Cox enters the 1994 U.S. Senate race.

The seat is a beauty for a Republican since it has one of the highest GOP registration levels in the state (60% Republican to 29% Democrat) and it represents a community of wealthy and politically conservative contributors.

Herschensohn, who lives in Hollywood, said he would move to Orange County for the race. He said his decision will depend on whether he believes he can be influential as a Republican minority member in the House.

“I have a yellow piece of paper with a couple columns of pro and con and the pros outweigh the cons in terms of quantity of things on the list,� Herschensohn said in an interview Thursday.

“It’s just a question of how much I could accomplish,� he added. “It’s a body of 435 people. A number of (supporters) are saying I could do a great deal. On the other hand, I hear about the frustrations of a number of people.�

With such a heavy Republican registration, the Newport Beach congressional seat is an attractive one for GOP candidates and Cox’s resignation was expected to trigger a heated primary. But if Herschensohn runs, Orange County political observers said he would be an instant favorite to win the race.

“Because of his high name (identification) and his conservative credentials and his popularity, I think he’d be very, very tough to beat,� said Scott Hart, an Orange County Republican political consultant.

Herschensohn’s political strength in the 47th Congressional District was tested last year when he overwhelmingly carried the area against rival Republican Tom Campbell in the GOP Senate primary. Herschensohn received 51% of the vote in Cox’s congressional district compared to just 26.7% for Campbell.

Herschensohn went on to win the GOP primary statewide, but he lost the November Senate election to Democratic Rep. Barbara Boxer. Herschensohn also ran for U.S. Senate in 1986, narrowly losing the GOP primary to Republican nominee Ed Zschau.

Before the 1992 Senate race, Herschensohn was a commentator on KABC-TV in Los Angeles. Since the race, he has served as a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, where he said he is writing a book.

Cox, a three-term incumbent, has not yet formally announced whether he will enter next year’s race to challenge the state’s other Democratic senator, Dianne Feinstein. But he has told supporters he plans to run and he has indicated he will announce a decision early next month. Cox was unavailable for comment Thursday.

Herschensohn said he had lunch with Cox recently to discuss his interest in the congressional seat.

Herschensohn, who was a speech writer in the Nixon White House, said he does not know when he will make a decision, but he does not plan to take long. Since the Senate race last November, he said he has wavered a few times about whether to seek public office once again.