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File: Lois Capps
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Lois Capps makes it official, she'll
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By NORA K. WALLACE
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NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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Lois Capps, driven by a desire to carry on her late husband's work in
Congress, said Monday she will campaign to finish Rep. Walter Capps'
term.
Surrounded by family members, and wearing her husband's
congressional lapel pin on a chain around her neck, Capps said she will
seek to be a ``citizen representative" for the people of the 22nd
Congressional District.
Her husband, a Democrat, died Oct. 28 of a heart attack, after finishing
10 months of his two-year term in the 105th Congress. He was 63.
More than solely championing her husband's legacy, Capps said she
would seek to convince voters that she brings her own experience to the
race, including two decades as a public school nurse and educator,
background as a community volunteer and life as a mother and
grandmother.
Although representatives from the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee visited with her for several days last week, and local party
activists urged her to run, Capps said the decision was ultimately hers.
Friends told her, ``If you want to do this, you've got to do it for
yourself," she said. "That's actually why it's taken me the time to come to
terms with this," she explained in an interview at her Santa Barbara
home. Having been married for 37 years to Walter Capps, ``I could do it
in a minute if it meant just doing something for Walter's legacy. I would
do anything. But this has got to be about what I am, and can offer as a
representative."
The day before he died, Walter Capps visited Hollister School in Goleta
to congratulate teachers for a technology grant they received. On
Monday, his widow visited the school to kick off her campaign.
After his visit, Walter Capps told his wife he wanted to keep the image
of the schoolchildren ``in my heart, so when I walk onto the floor of the
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11/18/97 09:07:03
House to cast my vote, I'll be doing it with the right intention."
Walter Capps, a UCSB religious studies professor for 32 years, often
tried during his district visits to establish a connection with voters, and
then return to Washington with their interests in mind, his widow
said. This time I've had now, and it's not been very many days, I've
used to really think about that kind of public service that he was
demonstrating," she said. ``It was a conviction we both shared, that the
connection you make with the people in a variety of ways as an elected
representative is what it is really about."
Capps earned a reputation on Capitol Hill as one of the most visible of
congressional spouses. She frequently sat in the gallery during House
debates and votes and attended various political events specifically for
spouses.
During Walter Capps' failed House campaign in 1994, and his successful
effort in 1996, she was almost always with him at debates, forums,
fund-raisers and speeches. She was particularly visible after he sustained
a broken arm and leg in a head-on car crash in May 1996 in the heat of a
nationally spotlighted race. While he recovered, she appeared at
campaign functions and gave speeches in his stead.
In addition to building upon the work her husband started, Capps said
she would concentrate on health concerns and issues involving children
and families.
Her ``ordinary, but very real life experience" as a public health nurse,
and as a mother who worked while her children were growing up, should
bode well with voters, she said. "I've been so privileged to provide
health services for the children of other families," she explained. "We've
shared the same goals in our community, making sure children had a
healthy environment, learn the job skills they need in this complex
world, and above all, that they'd grow up to be healthy individuals
capable of raising their own families."
Whether at the local or national level, she said, ``If we're not about
strengthening families, we're missing the basic elements of what it
means to live together as people."
Since Walter Capps' death, the district has been rife with speculation
about which Democrat would emerge as a candidate. Although Capps
was considered a front-runner from the outset, state Sen. Jack O'Connell
of San Luis Obispo was also a rumored favorite among Democrats. But
O'Connell backed out of the running last week, and pledged his support
to Capps.` Although many people have said Walter was the heart and
Lois was the soul, Lois is her own person," said Bob Handy, California
Democratic Party district representative. `She'll carry on the things
Walter cared for, and she'll have her own concerns."
The race is expected to draw national attention and potentially millions
of dollars from outside interests, including political parties, labor and
environmental organizations and conservative religious interests. Last
year, the campaign between Walter Capps and Rep. Andrea Seastrand,
R-Shell Beach, was heavily targeted by such national groups.
A union member for much of her professional career, Capps said she
would willingly accept any support from unions - including volunteers
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11/18/97 09:07:06
to walk precincts and work telephone banks.
Republicans hold a slim majority in Congress, and the 22nd
Congressional District was in GOP hands for almost 50 years before
Walter Capps defeated Seastrand. In the district, Democrats have a lead
of less than 1,000 registered voters over Republicans.
Last week, Gov. Pete Wilson set Jan. 13 as the date for a special primary
election. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent plus one of the vote,
there will be a special March 10 run-off election for the top vote-getter
in each party. The winner will finish the remainder of Walter Capps'
two-year term, which ends next December.
In response to the vacancy, both of the Central Coast's Republican
assemblymen are campaigning for the post.
Brooks Firestone, of Los Olivos, and Tom Bordonaro Jr., of Paso
Robles, said they'd seek the seat. I'm looking forward to a positive
campaign, based on the issues, experience, legislative and community
record," Firestone said. "It's the possibly most unusual campaign in a
generation with the entire country watching."
Bordonaro, offering himself as a "true conservative," said Capps'
announcement would not change his campaign strategy. My campaign
will be issue-oriented," he said. ``I'll lay out my record, what I've been
doing the last three years. We'll let the voters decide."
Former Santa Barbara County Supervisor Mike Stoker, now chairman of
the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board, started campaigning last
summer.
Among the Republicans who also have picked up preliminary election
papers are Santa Maria Mayor Abel Maldonado, Goleta resident Robert
Lovgren and Lompoc resident James DeWilder. Independent Chris
Mitchum of Santa Barbara also picked up preliminary papers, as did
Libertarians Robert Bakhaus of Santa Barbara and Thomas Rosenberger
of Lompoc.
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Who is Lois Capps?
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Lois Capps was born Jan. 10, 1938, in Wisconsin, the daughter of a
Lutheran minister. She graduated with honors from Pacific Lutheran
Home
University with a bachelor's degree in nursing, and married Walter
Capps in 1960.
E-Mail Us
Before moving to Santa Barbara in 1964, the couple lived in New
Haven, Conn. While there, Lois Capps earned a master's degree in
religion from Yale University, and worked as a head nurse at Yale New
Haven Hospital. In 1990, she earned a master's degree in education from
UCSB.
She worked as a nurse for the Santa Barbara County School District for
20 years, and retired last year, when her husband won his congressional
seat. During her career, she was coordinator of the teen parent program
and health consultant for all child development programs. Since 1983,
she occassionally taught in the Early Childhood Education Department
at SBCC.
Lois Capps has been a member of numerous community organizations,
including the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the
Santa Barbara County Women's Political Committee and the Family
Service Agency.
She has three children - Laura, Todd and Lisa - and one grandson.
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Issues Capps championed gain
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By NORA K. WALLACE
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During the last weeks of his life, Rep. Walter Capps was working to get
congressional support on two issues: pressuring China to improve
human rights and banning the importation of assault weapons from
IsraeL A.nd just two weeks after Capps died of a heart attack at age 63,
events have transpired that reflect the positions the Democrat lobbied
for.
On Sunday, Chinese officials released dissident Wei Jingsheng, who had
been jailed for his political activism and government opposition since
1979. Wei, in failing health from a heart ailment, traveled to Detroit
upon his release and entered a hospital there for treatment.
Capps had planned to be on hand for the Washington, D.C., festivities
during the visit of Chinese President Jiang Zemin, during the end of
October and early November. Capps, who voted last June to extend
most favored nation" status on China, wanted to remind Zemin that
many congressional members are concerned about human rights in that
country.
But Capps died Oct. 28, just before Zemin's week-long U.S. tour.
Before Zemin's visit, Capps circulated a letter among his colleagues,
asking them to put Zemin on notice about human rights abuses. In
particular, Capps asked for Wei's freedom, saying his immediate and
unconditional release "would constitute a positive confidence-building
measure on the subject of human rights in China."
Another project taking much of his attention was the importation of
assault weapons. Capps got the signatures of more than 30 members of
Congress on a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
which urged an end to the importation of Israeli assault weapons into
America. Semiautomatic weapons are increasingly used by criminals to
outgun our police officers and to commit heinous crimes," Capps wrote.
"Since 1994, these guns have been used to murder 12 law enforcement
officers. To say these dangerous Uzis are merely for sport does a
tremendous disservice to those brave officers killed in the line of duty as
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11/18/97 09:10:35
well as all individuals who have lost their lives."
Capps had asked other lawmakers to try and stop plans by an Israeli
government munitions manufacturer to export slightly altered versions
of Uzi and Galil semiautomatic assault weapons.
Two days ago, President Clinton ordered a suspension on the
importation of modified assault weapons while his administration
studies whether the weapons can be permanently banned.
And Netanyahu, responding to the letter initiated by Capps, said he
would suspend the sales of Uzis and Galils while the U.S. review takes
place.
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By BEN HELLWARTH
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The holidays offer one major obstacle along the short campaign trail
leading to the special election for the congressional office left vacant by
the death of Rep. Walter Capps.
But the most difficult voters to reach between now and the Jan. 13
primary may be the 22nd District's more than 65,000 college students,
many of whom will take their winter break during the two-month
campaign. Some will be back in class the week before the election, but
others will still be on vacation.
Their numbers could prove critical in the race. Capps, a Democrat from
Santa Barbara and longtime UCSB religious studies professor, lost by
just 1,600 votes in his 1994 face-off with Andrea Seastrand, R-Shell
Beach. He then won by more than 12,000 votes in the candidates'
rematch one year ago.
If as many people from the UCSB and Isla Vista precincts had voted for
the late professor in 1994 as in 1996, for example, he could have closed
the 1,600-vote gap.
With Lois Capps now in the running for the office her husband held for
10 months, college students could make a sizable difference in her first
showing at the polls, given their past support for Walter Capps on the
district's two largest campuses, UCSB and Cal Poly San Luis
Obispo. She'll have a lot of name recognition so people won't need a lot
of information if they associate her with him, and that general
orientation," said Kent Jennings, a UCSB political science professor.
"And that's true not just for students, but for the general public. This is
an information shortcut because her name provides a whole lot of
information."
David George, a political science professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,
agreed. "Name identification is an important factor in getting elected, but
it seems to me even more important in this election because you've got
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11/18/97 09:09:30
such a short time constraint," George said.
The other announced candidates - particularly the two Republicans in the
state Assembly, the moderate Brooks Firestone of Los Olivos and
conservative Tom Bordonaro of Paso Robles - also enjoy the benefit of
name recognition. So does Mike Stoker, a Republican and a former
Santa Barbara County supervisor.
But Walter Capps proved to be more popular in some student
communities than the conservative Seastrand, an indication that Lois
Capps, a retired school nurse, may need to get students to the polls to
win. All the candidates will be on the Jan. 13 ballot, the state's first open
primary, and voters can choose whomever they wish. If no one wins a
majority, a runoff among the top vote-getters from each party will be
held March 10.
The winter holidays remain a key obstacle for any candidate seeking to
register and win student voters. Some 18,000 UCSB students and 16,600
from Cal Poly take final exams in mid-December and return for class on
Jan. 5. Santa Barbara City College's 12,000 students, and their 8,600
counterparts at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo County, are off until
the week of Jan. 20. At Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, 8,600
students start their spring semester on Jan. 12, the day before the
primary. Westmont College's 1,200 students also return in mid-January.
Tapping the student vote could be more difficult because many may
have moved, and not voted, since last year's November elections and
would therefore no longer be registered. The deadline to register is Dec.
15. `If I were to advise the campaigns at this point, I would encourage
these candidates to use absentee ballots," said Allen Settle, a Cal Poly
political scientist and the mayor of San Luis Obispo.
The last day to request absentee ballots for the Jan. 13 primary will be
Jan. 6, said Ken Pettit, Santa Barbara County's registrar of voters. Given
the brief amount of time before the special election, however, county
election officials will not be able to help in outreach efforts to sign up
absentee voters, including those at UCSB.
Previous elections underscore the potential impact of student voters in
the 22nd District, which takes in most of San Luis Obispo and Santa
Barbara counties.
Even when Walter Capps lost to Andrea Seastrand in 1994, he outpolled
her by 7-to-1 in the 13 UCSB and Isla Vista precincts, winning 4,067
votes to her 604. Yet the campus community was less enthusiastic in its
showing for Dianne Feinstein, the San Francisco Democrat who ran for
the U.S. Senate against Michael Huffington, a moderate Republican and
freshman congressman from Montecito. Feinstein garnered 2,971 votes
to Huffington's 1,215.
The UCSB-Isla Vista turnout in that election was 35 percent, well below
Santa Barbara County's overall 61 percent voter turnout rate:
Campus-area turnout in 1996 improved to almost 44 percent, compared
to 64 percent countywide, when Capps challenged Seastrand again and
won 7,088 votes to the incumbent congresswoman's 1,107.
The Capps-Seastrand contest was closer in and around Cal Poly,
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historically a more conservative campus than UCSB, and with one of the
most conservative student bodies in the California State University
system, said Settle, who has studied Cal Poly voting trends. That could
mean more votes for a moderate Republican like Firestone - or perhaps a
Cal Poly alumnus like Bordonaro.
In 1994, in the 10 precincts north of Highway 101 surrounding the
university, Capps beat Seastrand by 2,146 to 1,474. At the on-campus
precinct, the candidates tied at 169, with just 445 of 1,306 registered
students casting ballots. Huffington beat Feinstein 204 to 158 on
campus, but lost to Feinstein by almost 400 votes in the combined
precincts.
Two years later, Capps markedly improved his showing in those
precincts, winning 3,393 votes to Seastrand's 1,656 - better than a 2-to-1
margin. The margin was narrower at the campus precinct, where Capps
won 404 to 218. Turnout rose to 54 percent from 41 percent.
Settle, who grew up in Santa Barbara and got his undergraduate and
graduate political science degrees from UCSB, said the vote in the city
of San Luis Obispo is also indicative of student voting behavior because
so many Cal Poly students live throughout the city and are involved in
civic affairs.
Voting records show that San Luis favored Capps by similar margins as
the immediate campus community. Capps won 8,949 to 6,454 in 1994;
in 1996 the vote was 11,485 to 6,658. Feinstein beat Huffington 8,167 to
6,532.
Community college voting trends are harder to track because students
are dispersed throughout the surrounding areas, but youth may be as
much a factor as location. Typically, the younger the person is, the less
likely they are to vote, and this goes for students as well. So we tend to
get lower turnout for students than for the general population," said Cal
Poly's George.
Voter surveys bear this out. A respected University of Michigan survey
of the national 1996 elections, for example, found that 52 percent of 18-
to 24-year-olds voted, compared to 69 percent of those aged 25 to 34, 79
percent of those 35 to 44, and more than 80 percent for those 45 and
older. "There's definitely a linear-like relationship between voting
turnout and age," George said.
At Santa Barbara City College and Cuesta College, more than 60 percent
of students enrolled are 25 or younger. The percentage may be
somewhat less at Hancock College, where 48 percent of students are 24
or younger, while 23 percent fall into the 25- to 34-year-old group.
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CALIFORNIA 22: Widow Seeks To Fulfill Capps Legacy
Lois Capps (D), widow of the Rep. Walter Capps (D) who died 10/28, said
11/17 "she will campaign to finish" his term. "More than solely championing her
husband's legacy, Capps said she will seek to convince voters that she brings her own
experience
to the race," as a public school nurse and educator. Officials from the DCCC "visited
with Capps for several days last week" and local Dems had "urged her to run," but
Capps said the "decision was ultimately hers." When Walter Capps broke an arm and leg
in a car wreck 5/96, Capps stepped in, appearing at campaign functions and giving
speeches "in his stead." Gov. Pete Wilson (R) set a special primary election for 1/13
with a 3/10 runoff if needed. The race is expected to draw "potentially millions of dollars
from outside interests," as the '96 race did. GOPers: Announced GOPers: Assembly
members Tom Bordonaro and Brooks Firestone and ex-Santa Barbara Supv. Mike
Stoker. Santa Maria Mayor Abel Maldonado, Goleta resident Robert Lovgren and
Lompoc resident James DeWilder, all GOPers, have picked up papers to file for the
race, as have indep. Chris Mitchum and Libertarians Robert Bakhaus and Thomas
Rosenberger (Wallace, Santa Barbara News-Press, 11/18). Before he died, Walter
Capps was working for cong. support to pressure China to "improve human rights" and a
ban on "the importation of assault weapons from Israel." Since his death, Chinese officials
"released dissident Wei Jingsheng" who had been jailed since '79 and Pres. Clinton
"ordered a suspension on the importation of modified weapons" 11/16, pending an
admin. study on a permanent ban. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently rec'd
a letter with more than 30 reps. signatures, initiated by Capps, said, "he would suspend
the sales of Uzis and Galils" while the U.S. reviews a ban (Wallace, Santa Barbara
News-Press, 11/18). (Back to Contents)
History is on the side of Lois Capps' bid to replace her late husband, Walter
Capps, in the house. In the past 25 years, seven widows have successfully won
elections to replace their late husbands: Cardiss Collins (D-IL) and Lindy Boggs
(D-LA) in '73; Shirley Pettis (R-CA) in '75; Beverly Byron (D-MD) in '78; Sala
Burton (D-CA) in '83; Cathy Long (D-LA) in '85 and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) in
'96.
There has been at least on exception, which may prove the rule. In '89, following
the death of Larkin Smith (R-MS), widow Sheila sought the GOP nod. But after
local GOP leaders gave the nod to Tom Anderson, Democrat Gene Taylor won the
seat.
PAGE
2
1ST STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format.
Copyright 1997 Times Mirror Company
Los Angeles Times
November 13, 1997, Thursday, Ventura County Edition
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 3; Zones Desk
LENGTH: 209 words
HEADLINE: VENTURA COUNTY FOCUS;
WEST COUNTY;
O'Connell Opts Not to Run for Congress
BYLINE: SCOTT STEEPLETON
BODY:
State Sen. Jack O'Connell (D-Santa Barbara) said he won't run for the
congressional seat left vacant by the death two weeks ago of Santa Barbara
Democrat Walter Capps.
Instead, O'Connell--whose 18th Senatorial District includes San Luis Obispo
and Santa Barbara counties and a portion of western Ventura County--said he will
focus on his 1998 reelection bid.
"Obviously, this was not an easy decision to make," O'Connell said in a
written statement Wednesday. "And many compelling reasons were brought to bear
th sides."
Ultimately, O'Connell said, he could not in good conscience take time away
from his wife and young daughter to serve the residents of Santa Barbara and San
Luis Obispo counties in Washington.
Capps died of a heart attack as he flew back to the capital from a weekend in
his district.
'Connell said the best person to carry on Capps' "rich legacy" is the late
congressman's wife, Lois.
"I hope Lois Capps runs for Congress, because I know she can win," O'Connell
said. "More important than that, however, I believe she would be a fantastic
member of Congress in her own right.'
Capps narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Andrea Seastrand last year, in
one of the nation's most closely watched races.
LANGUAGE: English
LOAD-DATE: November 13, 1997
By Lou Cannon
Until Capps's death, Firestone had
John Davies, Firestone's cam-
Special to The Washington Post
been campaigning for California's
paign manager, concedes that Bor-
lieutenant governorship in 1998, and
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Nov.
donaro could win the primary but
was favored to win. But he aban-
said, "He can't win the general elec-
17-A special election to fill a vacant
doned that race after former presi-
tion-if the Republican nominee
congressional seat has become a
dent Gerald R. Ford, who was a
the district goes Democratic."
national contest between moderate
friend of Firestone's deceased father,
Walter Capps upset incumbent Re-
and conservative wings of the Re-
Leonard, urged him to seek the
publican Andrea Seastrand in 1996,
publican Party and a test of whether
congressional seat. House Speaker
in part because she was seen as too.
Democrats can hold a district in
Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) also urged
socially conservative for a district
which they won a political upset in
him to run.
where polls show 2-to-1 support (and
1996.
Firestone's entry spurred opposi-
5-to-4 support among Republicans)
The campaign to replace Rep. Wal-
tion from the Christian Coalition and
for abortion rights.
ter Holden Capps (D), who died of a
conservative House members who
As for the prospects of Lois Capps,
heart attack on Oct. 28 after only 10
prefer Bordonaro. One of them, Rep.
Carrick noted that Republicans usu-
months in office, has already drawn
John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.), attacked
ally are more apt to vote in special
attention from the congressional
Firestone for his support of gun
elections and said, "Our challenge is
leadership of both parties. Capps
control and gay rights and called him
getting out the Democratic voters."
As Democrats Try to Hold California Seat, Republicans Debate Ideology
was a popular professor of religious
"the Christine Todd Whitman of Cali-
But Capps, a former nurse and
studies at the University of California
fornia," a reference to the recently
teacher who has lived in Santa Barba-
at Santa Barbara and the first Demo-
reelected governor of New Jersey.
ra for 34 years, is popular here in her
crat to represent this central Califor-
Bordonaro, 38, a businessman and
own right. She was a prominent
nia coastal district in Congress since
voice in her husband's 1996 cam-
second-term assemblyman, consid-
World War II.
ers himself a Jeffersonian who seeks
paign after he was seriously injured
"Few congressional districts in the
in a head-on accident in which the
to give state and local governments
nation are as competitive or have
driver of the other car was intoxicat-
more power at the expense of the
voters who are more independent,"
federal government. He is the only
ed. In her announcement today,
said Bill Carrick, a Democratic con-
Capps promised to "wage a positive
quadriplegic in the legislature,
sultant who is advising Lois Capps,
campaign true to the legacy of Wal-
where his conservatism is matched
the congressman's widow. Lois
ter's special brand of service."
by a sense of humor.
Capps announced today that she will
Asked by a reporter in his first
run for her husband's seat in the
FOR MORE INFORMATION
campaign whether he preferred to
open primary election Jan. 13.
be referred to as "disabled" or "phys-
To read early coverage of the 1998
Three Republican candidates also
ically challenged," he replied, "Actu-
election, click on the above symbol on
are vying for the seat. There will be a
ally, I'd prefer to be called Tom."
the front page of The Post's Web site
runoff on March 10 between Capps,
Stoker, 41, a lawyer, who unsuc-
atwww.washingtonpost.com
the only Democrat, and the leading
cessfully sought the seat in 1994, is
Republican vote-getter unless one of
widely regarded as a spoiler likely to
the four candidates wins a majority in
draw more votes from Firestone than
the January election.
Bordonaro. He is chairman of the
The Republican candidates in-
State Agricultural Relations Board in
clude state Assemblyman Brooks
Sacramento, but has maintained a
Firestone, one of the legislature's
residence in the district and had
most liberal GOP members on social
planned to oppose Walter Capps in
issues, and Assemblyman Tom Bor-
1998.
donaro, one of its most conservative.
Republican and Democratic regis-
The third candidate, a moderate con-
tration is evenly divided at 41 percent
servative, is former Santa Barbara
in the district. The remaining voters
County supervisor Mike Stoker.
declined to state a partisan prefer-
Firestone, 61, a local vineyard
ence or belong to one of five minor
owner and heir to a tire fortune, calls
parties.
himself "a reasonable Republican."
Firestone, who has the resources
Politically unknown outside the dis-
to finance his own campaign. is con-
The Washington Post
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1997
trict when first elected to the state
sidered the favorite. But he may be at
Assembly in 1994, he has become a
a disadvantage geographically be-
hero to GOP moderates in Sacra-
cause Bordonaro is the only candi-
mento for his stands in favor of gun
date from San Luis Obispo, the
control and abortion rights and for
northern and considerably more
his repeated warnings in party cau-
conservative county in the two-coun-
cuses that Republicans could be-
ty district. The three other candi-
Hates are from more liberal Santa
come a permanent minority unless
Barbara County.
they are tolerant of diverse positions
All the candidates agree that the
within their ranks.
result will depend on turnout, which
tends to be low in special elections,
particularly after a holiday period.
This could help Bordonaro, because
conservatives often vote heavily in
Republican primaries.
Several months ago, Fazio ex-
By John E. Yang
Redistricting after the 1990 census
pressed some interest in the job. Ac-
Washington Post Staff Writers
radically changed Fazio's Sacramento-
cording to administration and congres-
area district, resulting in a series of
Two senior House Democrats an-
sional officials, he asked Vice President
close races. Last year, he improved his
nounced yesterday they were ending
Gore whether rumors that he was a
percentage of the vote to 54 percent
their congressional careers next year,
strong candidate were true. Gore,
after winning 50 percent in 1994 and 51
joining a growing number of ranking
sources said, gave a neutral response,
percent in 1992.
Democrats who have chosen to leave
telling him there were numerous candi-
Dellums, 61, did not say what he
the House even as the party seeks to
dates and nothing was decided.
would do when he left office next year.
regain control of the chamber.
Different officials gave different as-
"I choose to make a personal decision
Rep. Ronald V. Dellums (Calif.), the
sessments of who has the inside track.
Those who sensed momentum for Fa-
and to empower myself to regain my
House National Security Committee's
life," he told an Oakland news confer-
top Democrat, said he would resign
zio attributed it to the need to rebuild
ence. "It's important for me to now
Calif. Democrats Dellums, Fazio to Retire From House
Feb. 6, midway through his 14th House
the administration's ties with congres-
move on."
term, and Rep. Vic Fazio (Calif.), chair-
sional Democrats following their rejec-
Tall, lean and elegant, Dellums fre-
man of the House Democratic Caucus
tion of Clinton's "fast track" trade legis-
lation last week. "Erskine didn't have
quently argues for collegiality and cour-
who had signaled his intent to try to
tesy in an institution that had become
move up in his party's leadership. said
entree to the Democrats on the Hill, but
did have it with the Republicans, which
increasingly vitriolic in the past three
he would not seek reelection to an 11th
then hurt him with the Democrats,"
years.
term next year.
Dellums's and Fazio's announce-
said a White House official.
Elected in 1970 as an opponent of the
ments brought to 14 the number of
Earlier in his House career, Fazio
Vietnam War, Dellums rose to become
House Democrats who are leaving
had cited family concerns in not seek-
chairman of the House committee over-
Congress, only four of them to seek
ing leadership posts. His youngest
seeing the military, then known as the
other offices. While some are near-or
daughter, Anne, then a teenager, was
Armed Services Committee. Though
beyond-the usual retirement age, oth-
diagnosed with leukemia in 1990. She
an advocate of cutting military spend-
ers, such as Fazio, 55, are young
died in 1995 of complications from
ing, Dellums ran the committee even-
enough to pursue other careers. In
pneumonia at the age of 22.
handedly, winning the praise and re-
addition. Rep. Walter Holden Capps
Among House Democrats, Fazio is
spect of even the most ardent hawks on
(D-Calif.) died late last month.
seen as a leader of the more moderate
the panel.
Analysts rate six of those seats being
faction while House Minority Leader
Though an unabashedly liberal
vacated by Democratic lawmakers-in-
cluding Fazio's-as ones Republicans
Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) and Mi-
Democrat, he has joined with Rep. John
could win next fall now that incumbents
nority Whip David E. Bonior (D-Mich.)
R. Kasich (R-Ohio) to kill further pro-
are allied with the more liberal wing.
duction of the B-2- "stealth" bomber
will not be defending them, complicat-
ing Democratic hopes of picking up the
Earlier this year, Fazio signaled his
beyond the 20 planes the Pentagon has
said it needs.
11 seats they need to reclaim control of
intention to challenge Bonior as whip
the House. Last week, Rep. Paul
or, if Democrats control the House, as
Dellums's district, which encom-
majority leader after the 1998 elections.
passes Oakland and Berkeley, is solidly
McHale (D-Pa.), said he would not seek
Many saw Fazio's efforts in support
Democratic. He never won less than 55
a fourth term representing his competi-
tive district on the eastern edge of the
of fast track as a likely precursor to a
percent of the vote.
state.
Fazio-Bonior race-only about 40 other
Staffwriters Peter Baker and John F.
"The Democrats have been trying to
House Democrats joined Fazio in back-
Harris contributed to this report.
use Republican retirements to create a
ing fast track while about 160 House
momentum, but these recent retire-
Democrats stood with Bonior against
ments really blunt that," said Stuart
it.
Rothenberg, a political analyst who
Fazio was head of the Democratic
focuses on congressional elections.
House campaign committee from 1991
Fazio, who has been widely men-
until 1994, the year the GOP won its
tioned as a possible successor to Er-
first House majority in four decades,
skine B. Bowles as White House chief
and was elected chairman of the House
of staff, said he would leave Congress
Democratic Caucus in 1994 and again
to spend more time with his family. His
last year.
congressional career "has forced me to
choose between my passion for public
service and my family far too often," he
said. "And we've paid the price. It is now
time to follow the path that will allow
me to put my family first."
Fazio's announcement set off specu-
lation at the White House about his
The Washington Post
prospects as Bowles prepares to depart
around the end of the year; Clinton and
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1997
Bowles are scheduled to meet today to
discuss plans.
"It's the $64,000 question over here,"
one White House official said: "Every-
one figures that it's a matter of not very
much time."
Other possible candidates include
national security adviser Samuel R
"Sandy" Berger, budget director Frank-
lin D. Raines, deputy chief of staff John
D. Podesta and chief White House
lobbyist John L. Hilley. Raines has said
he is not interested, although some
colleagues take that demurral more
seriously than others.
CALIFORNIA 22: Don't Forget The El Nino Factor
Santa Barbara News-Press' Hellwarth reports, the race to replace the late Rep.
Walter Capps (D) "may end up looking like the political equivalent of a Super Bowl
that's played in one quarter instead of the usual four." The election's timing, with the open
primary on 1/13/98, is "presenting numerous strategic quandaries, not the least of which
are the long Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas and New Year's" holidays. More than
50K college students in the CD, which has 430K regis. voters, will be on break until
"one week before" the election. "El Nino could even come into play by making an
expected low voter turnout even lower with an Election Day downpour." Even the Super
Bowl "could have an effect" by "diverting attention." A "more practical difficulty may be
enlisting campaign volunteers," and "party loyalists may have holiday plans that prevent
them from playing their usual roles." Widow Lois Capps is scheduled to make a
"much-anticipated statement" today (11/17) about whether she will run to succeed her
husband. Her announcement "will greatly shape the election." Announced GOPers:
Assembly members Tom Bordonaro, Brooks Firestone and ex-Santa Barbara Supv.
Mike Stoker (11/15). (Back to Contents)
PAGE
8
4TH STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format.
Copyright 1997 The Washington Post
The Washington Post
February 11, 1997, Tuesday, Final Edition
NAME: WALTER CAPPS
SECTION: STYLE; Pg. C01; THE NEW CONGRESS
LENGTH: 1168 words
HEADLINE: Lawmaker With A Soul Purpose
BYLINE: John E. Yang, Washington Post Staff Writer
BODY:
As Walter H. Capps sat through the orientation sessions for new lawmakers,
listening to explanations of how to file a bill or manage an office, another
thought kept nagging at him.
"The question I always wanted to ask is: Do we know why we're here? What are
we doing here?" the former religious studies professor says as he sits in his
small Capitol Hill office. "In the world I came from, the world of religion,
people don't worry about procedure. They just give you the high ideals."
Most House freshmen hit Capitol Hill preoccupied with scoring juicy committee
assignments, deciphering Byzantine rules of order and locating hearing rooms and
restrooms. Capps, however, isn't like most House freshmen.
33 years, he taught and wrote at the University of California, Santa
Barbara, contemplating the nourishment of the soul, not the building of
electoral blocs. He counts among his influences the late U.N. secretary general
Dag Hammarskjold, psychoanalyst Erik Erikson and the Dalai Lama.
"One of the challenges is to see if someone with the training and experience
I have can work in a world like this," the Democratic congressman says with
characteristic low-key candor. "It's a big experiment to see if it works."
Many lawmakers have, in fact, struggled to mesh pedestrian politics with a
spiritual life. The Rev. Robert F. Drinan, a liberal Massachusetts Democrat,
perhaps confronted the dilemma most directly. After 10 years in office, he left
the House in 1980 on direct orders from Pope John Paul II, who barred Jesuits
from public office. Currently, there are two ministers in Congress, Rep. Floyd
H. Flake (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.). Meanwhile, the strong
religious faith of former senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-Ore.) animated his
opposition to both abortion and the death penalty, just as the ardent
anti-abortion efforts of Reps. Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.) and Christopher H. Smith
(R-N.J.) have roots in their Catholicism.
"At some level, I hope [Capps] doesn't fit in too much," says former Clinton
adviser George Stephanopoulos. The onetime House aide is the son of a Greek
Orthodox priest and is himself a former theology student. Capps's daughter,
Laura, worked for Stephanopoulos at the White House, and he campaigned for Capps
last year. "His strength is to bring that outsider's perspective to the House,
St hanopoulos says.
PAGE
9
The Washington Post, February 11, 1997
It's a perspective, as Capps describes it, that puts a greater emphasis on
ciples than on issues or party loyalty. Those principles, Capps explains,
Does an initiative build up the community? Is it fair? Does it promote
social and cultural diversity? Does it honor civility? "This is all about the
human spirit.
Capps, 62, says he is not likely to be in Congress for a long time and has
not given up his academic appointment. "This for me is not the beginning of my
life," the lanky, balding Capps says. "The real struggle is to integrate this
with the kind of man I've become until now. I need to be sure I'm in balance.
Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), who has known Capps for more than a decade and
taught a course on the Vietnam War with him, believes "it is likely that Walter
is going to be able to teach a lot of us the important things."
It was Kerrey who persuaded Capps to make his first run for the House in
1994, when he was narrowly defeated by social conservative Andrea Seastrand. And
Kerrey encouraged him to make the rematch last year.
Instead of interpreting the viewpoints of others for students, Kerrey told
Capps, he would have the opportunity to develop his own voice. "That really
nailed it," Capps recalled. "You don't do that much as a teacher."
Backed by organized labor and environmental groups, Capps became the first
Democrat to represent the district along the Southern California coast since
World War II. Kerrey suggests that Capps's impact will derive more from his
spiritual underpinnings than any specific legislative accomplishments. "Let's
say he doesn't get a single bill passed in two years,' Kerrey says. "That
't mean he hasn't gotten anything done. Some of the most important things
is place are how we touch other people's lives. It's not the words in
legislation.
Whether Capps's constituents agree is another question a fact that Capps
is not unaware of. His legislative goals are decidedly earthly a community
college for Paso Robles, cleaning up Morro Bay. "You do have to be good at
politics or you can't win and you can't be effective here, he concedes.
Indeed, Capps learned that getting elected isn't simply a matter of
philosophical query. When Stephanopoulos campaigned for him last year, Capps
honored him with a quotation from Saint John Chrysostom, author of the main
Greek Orthodox liturgy. Stephanopoulos then delighted Capps by responding with a
quotation from Czech playwright and president Vaclav Havel, about whom Capps had
just finished writing a book.
Afterward, Capps told Stephanopoulos what a wonderful moment it had been.
"But you forgot to mention Medicare," Stephanopoulos replied.
"I wanted him to win, goddammit,' he now adds with a laugh.
Capps also got a tutorial in Electioneering 101 from the consummate
campaigner, President Clinton, during a stop in Santa Barbara. After his speech,
Clinton called Capps to the lectern. "Stick with me," Capps recalled the
president coaching him. "Look straight into the cameras, smile and wave like
11
PAGE
10
The Washington Post, February 11, 1997
That day, and the election the following week, capped a painful journey that
begun nearly six months earlier. On May 23, Capps was nearly killed in a
on collision with a drunk driver who swerved into the path of his car on a
rural highway as he and his wife, Lois, returned home from a news conference.
Capps, who was driving, had to be cut from the wreckage and suffered a badly
broken arm and leg, as well as head and internal injuries. Lois Capps escaped
with only cuts and bruises.
He spent three weeks in the hospital and did not return to the campaign trail
until Aug. 8. Even then, he could not walk without assistance. He still does not
have full use of his right arm and is to have additional surgery on it this
spring.
"That was really life-defining because I nearly lost it," he said. "I wake up
every morning and give thanks for that one day."
Now Capps considers the more philosophical challenges, when he will face the
choice between doing what is politically expedient and standing on principle.
"Then the question is, What will I do?" he says. "Am I being true to who I
am? If I go this way, have I violated anything that is essentially human?"
Capps says he is confident he will know the answer, if not in himself then in
the voices of his friends and family.
"The Bible tells us we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses," he says,
quoting from Hebrews. "There are SO many people with such strong testimony to
the truth. If I start down the wrong path they would be SO disappointed - - and I
be SO shameful.
GRAPHIC: Photo, bill o'leary, Can Capps mesh his political and spiritual lives?
"It's a big experiment," says the religion professor. "One of the challenges is
to see if someone with the training and experience I have can work in a world
like this,' Walter Capps says.
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
LOAD-DATE: February 11, 1997
PAGE
5
3RD STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format.
Copyright 1997 Times Mirror Company
Los Angeles Times
November 7, 1997, Friday, Home Edition
SECTION: Part A; Page 3; Metro Desk
LENGTH: 779 words
HEADLINE: CALIFORNIA AND THE WEST;
GOP ASSEMBLYMEN TO RUN FOR CAPPS' SEAT IN HOUSE;
POLITICS: FIRESTONE AND BORDONARO BOTH SAY THEY WILL ENTER SPECIAL ELECTION TO
SUCCEED LATE CONGRESSMAN. DEMOCRATS DO NOT HAVE A CANDIDATE YET.
BYLINE: CARL INGRAM, TIMES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SACRAMENTO
BODY:
Republican Assemblymen Brooks Firestone and Tom J. Bordonaro Jr. announced
their candidacies Thursday for the House seat of Democrat Walter Capps of Santa
Barbara, who died last week.
Firestone, 61, a Los Olivos winery owner and member of the wealthy Firestone
Tire and Rubber Co. family, became the first candidate to enter the special
election for the Central Coast seat.
doing so, Firestone, a moderate, abandoned his fledgling campaign for
lieutenant governor.
Several hours later, fellow GOP Assemblyman Bordonaro of Paso Robles, who
represents an adjoining district, abruptly disclosed his candidacy for the House
seat.
"I'm in the race, Bordonaro said in an interview. "I want to provide a clear
choice for the constituents of the 22nd Congressional District. I think the
district needs a Reagan-conservative representative."
Bordonaro, 38, the only quadriplegic in the Legislature, called Firestone an
"honorable man and a friend" and voiced hope that "we don't have a bloody
Republican primary.'
Capps, a former college professor who was narrowly elected to Congress last
year, collapsed and died of a heart attack while en route to Washington on Oct.
28.
Gov. Pete Wilson must soon call a special election to be held next month or
in January. If no one wins outright, a runoff will be held in February or March.
Firestone said he believes the special election will be Jan. 13 but did not
indicate why he thinks so. In any case, it will be difficult for candidates to
capture the attention of voters during the holiday season. Firestone said he
b
eves he can serve his constituents better in Congress.
PAGE
6
Los Angeles Times, November 7, 1997
His departure from the lieutenant governor's contest leaves other Republicans
eek the nomination, including state Sens. Tim Leslie of Carnelian Bay and
ard Mountjoy of Arcadia, both of whom have announced their intentions.
Assemblyman Charles S. Poochigian (R-Fresno) is also believed to be looking at
the race.
The 22nd Congressional District includes San Luis Obispo County, which is
considered conservative, and part of Santa Barbara County, which is more
moderate.
The district is evenly split 41% to 41% between Republicans and Democrats. Of
the remaining electorate, the largest group--12%--is not aligned with any party,
but its wild card votes can play a critical role in the outcome.
Last year, President Clinton lost the district to Republican Bob Dole by a
margin of 44% to 44.2%.
A Republican victory would mean recapturing a seat that had been in GOP hands
for decades until Capps won it by 10,000 votes in 1996. If a Democrat won, House
Speaker Newt Gingrich would suffer a new setback as he attempts to shore up a
GOP majority that was weakened in last year's general elections.
In the past week, there has been plenty of talk about potential Democratic
contenders, but none has emerged as a candidate. Party sources said Capps'
widow, Lois, will be the favorite if she runs.
A spokeswoman said Lois Capps "is dealing with her grief" and has not yet
talked about entering the race. A Democratic Party strategist identified her as
st as revered in the district" as her husband.
Other Democrats mentioned as possible candidates include state Sen. Jack
'Connell of Santa Barbara and former state Sen. Gary Hart, also of Santa
Barbara. An aide to O' Connell said the lawmaker is discussing a possible run
with friends but has made no decision. An associate of Hart, now a college
professor, said Hart will not run.
The Democratic strategist said the special election will be difficult for a
Democrat to win, noting that the independently wealthy Firestone and the GOP can
be expected to pour major sums into the race.
"This is going to be tough for Democrats," the strategist said. "We have to
figure out how to win the special election and then come back and win again in
the fall for the full two-year term
It was a tough seat for the
Democrats to get and very tough to hold.
Firestone said he had been urged to run by former President Gerald Ford and
Gingrich, a development widely regarded as an effort to clear the field of other
potential GOP contenders. "That was compelling," he said of the calls. But he
sought Thursday to dispel any notion that his candidacy was ordered by national
Republican leaders.
He said there is talk that Mike Stoker, chairman of the state Agricultural
Labor Relations Board and a former Santa Barbara County supervisor, and
Atascadero physician Rene Bravo may run again. Both were unsuccessful candidates
be 1994 Republican primary.
PAGE
7
Los Angeles Times, November 7, 1997
Former Rep. Mike Huffington has said he will not run again for the seat,
h he held earlier.
LANGUAGE: English
LOAD-DATE: November 7, 1997
PAGE
2
2ND STORY of Level 1 printed in FULL format.
Copyright 1997 The Omaha World-Herald Company
Omaha World-Herald
November 9, 1997, Sunday SUNRISE EDITION
SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 1b; Michael Kelly
LENGTH: 721 words
HEADLINE: Remarkable Walter Capps
BODY:
Well before he became a remarkable American, long before the Rev. Jesse
Jackson, Sen. Bob Kerrey and others eulogized him, Walter Capps was the child of
an Omaha family.
Back then he was "Wally," the oldest of four sons of Mildred and Holden
Capps, the latter a Union Pacific clerk. They lived in the Benson neighborhood
at 5021 Spencer St. and attended Augustana Lutheran Church.
A 1946 snapshot shows Wally and his brothers, part of what a friend called
"the Spencer Street gang, when "gang" carried a friendly connotation.
At Christmas, 1947, subscribers on his World-Herald route saw a card:
"I'm Walter Capps, your paper boy,
Who's wishing you the season's joy.
his early Christmas morning
I'm rather sleepy, 'cause, you see,
I'm out of bed at half past three."
The future author, professor and congressman was 14 then. Honor Edson of
Omaha remembers him well.
"At Benson High,' she said, "if someone talked to him, a girl especially,
he'd blush, look at his shoes and shuffle. He was extremely likable, a gentle,
kind soul.
She remembers watching in awe in typing class as he exceeded 100 words a
minute on a manual typewriter. He grew to 6 feet 4 inches tall and she is 6
feet, SO they became dance partners.
Capps later earned a doctorate from Yale University, authored or edited 14
books and, at the University of California-Santa Barbara, developed a course on
the Vietnam War that was featured on CBS' "60 Minutes.'
A Reconciler
Kerrey, a Nebraskan who lost part of a leg and won the Medal of Honor in
Vietnam, became a guest lecturer in that class. Last week, he spoke at Capps'
al in California.
PAGE
3
Omaha World-Herald, November 9, 1997
"He saw the spirit in human beings, Kerrey said after returning. "In the
y, I said that Ted Williams, the last player to hit .400, supposedly could
The spinning seams of the baseball. Walter could see spirit hurtling toward
destiny. But he didn't hit it - he caught it."
Capps, Kerrey said, was a great intellectual who was at ease talking with
anyone. And, the senator said, Capps had disarming body language.
"If you asked him a difficult question, he'd look down at his shoes and
shuffle his feet and say, 'Gee, I don't know. That gesture somehow brought
people together and got them to stop talking - in essence, joined in communal
prayer."
Capps, a professor of religious studies, reconciled those who had stood on
opposite sides of the Vietnam issue.
He surprised friends by running for Congress, losing in 1994 before winning
in 1996. But in May of'96, a drunken driver struck his car head-on. Capps
suffered severe fractures to the right arm and wrist and left knee, internal
bleeding and cuts and bruises.
Life a Miracle
Wendy Wright, associate professor of theology at Creighton University,
received her doctorate under Capps' direction. She and her husband remained
close with Walt and Lois Capps, who became godparents to the Omahans' children.
Capps enjoyed playing the piano for Dr. Wright, an accomplished singer.
Life unfolded like a miracle to him," she said. "He was extraordinary. He
focused on what was full in the present moment - not in the sense of grabbing it
and using it, but in appreciating every moment. He was always like that, more SO
after his accident.'
Capps, a liberal Democrat, was liked by conservative Republicans such as
Rep. Jon Christensen of Omaha, who saw him on an Oct. 10 flight to Omaha.
"He was bubbling over with enthusiasm about returning to his old stomping
grounds," Christensen said. "He was a tender-hearted man who respected and truly
loved everybody.'
Capps attended his Benson High (Class of reunion, and spoke at Creighton
and Augustana Lutheran. Next year, he had planned to return for induction into
his high school's hall of fame.
On Oct. 28, Dr. Wright saw that Capps had answered her e-mail that morning
before leaving California for the nation's capital. Then the phone rang. She
was told he'd arrived at Dulles International Airport near Washington and died
of a heart attack.
Six hundred attended his funeral - some, no doubt, in quiet thought and
communal prayer, looking at their shoes and shuffling their feet.
Amid the eulogies, Wendy Wright sang for her mentor one last time.