Dornan Satisfied With Iowa Caucuses

As the Republican presidential race shifted from the cornfields of Iowa to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, conservative candidate and U.S. Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Calif.) made a brief stop in the Boston area last night.

Forced to cancel his planned meeting with the Harvard Business School Young Republican Club due to traffic delays in Rhode Island, Dornan managed only an interview on the New England Cable News Network.

But the former Los Angeles television and radio host promised to pay a visit to the Young Republicans at some time in the future.

In a telephone interview with The Crimson from Newton, Mass., last night, Dornan said he is satisfied with his seemingly dismal performance in the Iowa caucuses, where he received less than one percent of the vote.

"[Fellow GOP candidate] Alan Keyes ['72] is in it for the message, and so am I," Dornan said. "But I'm in the arena, and he's in the critic's gallery. I write the laws for the stuff he criticizes."

Dornan attributed his poor showing in Iowa to a lack of time spent campaigning there.

"I never opened up an office," said Dornan. "I didn't have any organization."

He also blamed his performance on the antics of rival candidate and friend, commentator Patrick J. Buchanan.

"Buchanan started telling people I was out of the race," he said. "He took my battle cry of 'Faith, Family, Freedom.' He flat-out took it from me. I don't mind, but he should have asked."

Dornan added that his name was accidentally omitted from the Christian Coalition's Voter's Guide, which is distributed to many voters across the nation.

Stereotyping?

A champion of several national defense projects, Dornan stated repeatedly that the typical stereotypes applied to conservatives do not apply to him.

"There is no hidden racism in me," said Dornan, who opposes quota-oriented affirmative action but supports some other forms.

The candidate added that in 1963, he marched with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dornan is aiming to gain a few percentage points of support in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, hoping that he and his message can hang in the race through March.

Eventually, Dornan said, he expects to shift his focus to his Congressional reelection campaign, perhaps running a more serious campaign for the presidency in four years or beyond.

But Dornan said he would not sacrifice precious time with his family for political success.

"If I do it," he said, "it will almost be like I'm telling my kids, 'I'm going in the monastery.... I'll see you in heaven.'"

Other Candidates

Dornan said he is happy to be in the race longer than opponent U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas), who is expected to announce his withdrawal today.

"Phil Gramm had it all," Dornan said. "And now he is leaving with more money in the bank than any presidential candidate in the nation."

An opponent of U.S. involvement in Bosnia, Dornan criticized his opponents for spending too much time attacking each other and not enough time attacking President Clinton.

He urged the other candidates to bring up issues such as Whitewater and the President's dodging of the draft in the past.

"Dole never attacks Clinton--none of the other guys are attacking him," he said. "We have a moral crisis in the White House."

Dornan said his message to college students is to realize that this country supports two distinct political parties.

"Get active in both parties," urged Dornan. "Don't think that because you're in the sophomoric period in your life, you have to be a liberal."