Huffington Hitches His U.S. Senate Race to ‘3 Strikes’

First-term Rep. Michael Huffington, preparing to run for the U.S. Senate, has signed on as the chief bankroller and co-chairman of the hottest political ticket going in California: the proposed “three strikes” anti-crime initiative.

Huffington (R-Santa Barbara) contributed about $100,000 of his own money to help qualify the initiative for the November ballot, and he agreed to help direct the campaign along with Mike Reynolds, the father of an 18-year-old murder victim.

The freshman congressman seeking to unseat Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein said he is acting as a concerned citizen and the father of two young daughters, not as a candidate. That’s why, he said, he did not identify his political affiliations in a radio commercial he recently made for the proposed initiative.

“When I read about Polly Klaas’ abduction, it just made me mad,” said Huffington, referring to the kidnaping and murder last year of a 12-year-old Petaluma girl. “I was fed up and I wanted to do something about it.”

Crime promises to be one of the major issues in the coming election year, and nothing has proved more irresistible for the 1994 candidates than the initiative that seeks a life sentence for habitual criminals.

“Three strikes and you’re out”--as the measure is called--has been endorsed by most of the leading candidates for statewide office, and in a recent poll it was supported by a whopping 84% of the state’s voters.

Huffington’s support for the initiative is not likely to distinguish him from the two other major candidates in the U.S. Senate race because it is also backed by Feinstein and Republican challenger William E. Dannemeyer.

But his leadership role in the initiative campaign will help him achieve the first task he faces in his Senate bid: introducing himself to an electorate that does not know him. He said it should also demonstrate his leadership and commitment on the issue because he is “putting my money where my mouth is.”

“A lot of politicians say they are for it, but very few people put up the commitment to make sure it gets qualified,” said Huffington, 46, a former banker and the son of a wealthy Texas oilman. “If I had not been able to step into this, I’m not sure we would have a measure on the ballot.”

The initiative’s sponsors said the campaign needs another 50,000 signatures--for a total of about 600,000--before March 7 in order to be sure the plan qualifies for the November ballot. Reynolds said the effort has been costly and when money was short he went to Huffington seeking financial help. He said Huffington’s contribution represents about a quarter of the campaign’s funds.

Huffington’s rivals said his role on the initiative highlights his light public record.

Huffington won his first public office in 1992 when he spent a record $5.4 million to unseat a veteran Republican congressman. Asked whether he had been involved in anti-crime measures before, Huffington said: “This is the first initiative I’ve seen in a while that makes sense.” As for his role in the House, he said: “The liberal leadership has not allowed us to play a role in anything that is significant.”

Feinstein aides have promised that one of the central themes of the senator’s campaign will be to contrast her experience as a public leader with Huffington’s lack of a record. They said the crime issue and the “three strikes” initiative is an example.

“What he has been able to do because of his hundreds of millions of dollars in personal wealth is . . . try to buy a legislative record,” said Kam Kuwata, Feinstein’s California director. “I think that’s what distinguishes the two candidates. One is passing laws in the Congress, and the other is trying to buy a record.”

Dannemeyer made a similar complaint. “He’s seeking to use his personal wealth to make himself . . . seem to be strong on crime,” the former Orange County congressman said. “The voters will sort out what his motivation is.”

It is not new for a candidate seeking statewide office to sponsor a concurrent initiative, although the tactic has met with mixed results in the past.

Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. successfully rode a campaign reform measure into the governor’s office when he was elected in 1974. But in 1990, Democratic gubernatorial candidate John K. Van de Kamp’s campaign was bogged down with three initiatives that drained precious time and resources from the candidate.

“I think largely candidates have made a mistake in trying to identify themselves with initiatives,” said Sal Russo, a Republican political consultant in Sacramento. “More often than not, it’s not a very effective tactic, although there are obviously notable exceptions.”

Huffington said he plans to campaign for the initiative around the state on talk radio programs and in news conferences. Once it qualifies for the ballot, he said, he will continue to promote the measure to make sure it passes in November, although he is uncertain whether he will contribute more money.

But sponsors of the initiative said there is some question about whether it will have to go before the voters. The state Legislature is considering five “three strikes”-style bills, including one that is virtually identical to the initiative.

Reynolds said that if Gov. Pete Wilson signs a sufficiently similar bill before March 7, he might drop the initiative campaign.

Huffington disagreed with that approach, saying the initiative would still be necessary because it would be harder to modify or repeal than legislation. “That’s a key point,” he said.

If Huffington’s role in the anti-crime initiative is unconventional, his supporters said it is an indication of the style that should be expected from a unique candidate who is not a product of the political Establishment. They said it demonstrates that he follows his own judgment instead of seeking the most politically expeditious route.

“Understand one thing about Michael Huffington--he is moved by his conscience,” said Carlos Rodriguez, an adviser to Huffington’s campaign. “These are things he firmly believes in. These are things that move him whether he is an individual or a candidate running for office.”