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GOP Targets Calif. Senate Race
By MICHELLE DeARMOND Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and New York City
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani are the latest high-profile Republicans to stump for Matt Fong,
underscoring the attention the GOP is devoting to California's tight U.S. Senate race.
The race against Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer has drawn a series of top politicians.
The latest came at Friday's $250,000 fund-raiser breakfast.
''I offered to do this when Matt was way behind (in the polls) because I thought a
statement needed to be made,'' said Kissinger, who served in the Nixon and Ford
administrations. ''I am concerned about the attitude that's represented by the incumbent
senator.''
The breakfast, attended by 400 Fong supporters, coincided with the release of a Field
Poll showing Fong in a dead heat with Boxer. The survey showed Fong with 48 percent to
Boxer's 44 percent. With a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent, the survey reflects
a virtual statistical tie.
A poll in August showed Boxer and Fong tied at 45 percent.
Two days earlier, former Vice President Dan Quayle stumped for Fong. Other key
Republican figures to help his campaign include House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Arizona
Sen. John McCain and former Housing Secretary Jack Kemp.
Boxer, who has been criticized for her initial silence on President Clinton's White House
intern scandal, has admitted throughout the campaign that it would be a tight race. Turnout,
especially among Democratic women, is considered key to her success.
Giuliani, who has been rumored to have higher political aspirations, said he made the trip
simply as a show of support for Fong.
AP-NY-10-10-98 0547EDT
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