Preaching Fiscal Restraint

Candidates in upcoming primaries are wary of the issue

While Californians suspend nearly all normal politicking in their frenzy over the property tax battle, politicians seeking election elsewhere are watching nervously. Virtually to a man, and woman, they are preaching fiscal restraint this year. But as the candidates plunge into primary campaigns, their fates will be decided by the voters on the basis of a complex of intraparty feuds, personality clashes and local issues. Among the liveliest races:

NEW JERSEY (June 6). As some 4,500 rock music fans roared in the Rutgers Athletic Center, Performers Paul Simon, Melissa Manchester and the Not Ready for Prime Time Players helped raise money for former New York Knicks Basketball Star Bill Bradley in his uphill fight to unseat four-term Republican Senator Clifford Case. Singer Patti Smith, cavorting in tight silver pants, with an American flag draped over her shoulders, set her sights even higher. "Let's put a jock in the White House," she bellowed. "He's a smart f---- guy!"

No other candidate can claim that kind of endorsement. But Bradley, 34, a Rhodes scholar who is playing his celebrity status to the hilt, is plagued by his image as a lightweight in politics. Campaigning 16 hours a day, he squeezes arms, pats backs and shakes hands. His pitch is that he is not "cut from the same mold" as most politicians--a point that rings true. His chief opponent in the Democratic primary, former State Treasurer Richard Leone, 38, argues that Bradley is too inexperienced. The dark, intense Leone holds a Ph.D. in government, teaches at Princeton and boasts of his expertise in such fields as "qualified bond programs," as well as in "kicking the cronies" but of state government. His problem is to become as well known as Bradley, no easy chore.

Whoever wins will look much shorter on experience than the popular Case, who has been endorsed by Gerald Ford and Henry Kissinger. Case is opposed in the G.O.P. primary by Jeffrey Bell, a former aide to Ronald Reagan. Bell warns against "bracket creep" (putting taxpayers in a higher income tax bracket because of inflation) and backs a House bill calling for a 30% general cut in income tax rates. At the moment, Bradley is a slight favorite over Leone, and Case a heavy favorite not only next week but in November as well.

OHIO (June 6). The Republican primary should signal whether James Rhodes, 68, who has been Governor longer than any of his predecessors (11% years), is losing his grip and is in danger of being unseated in November. Rhodes' primary opponent, House Minority Leader Charles Kurfess, 48, contends that the complacent Rhodes is "Ohio's biggest energy crisis." One of his party's restive younger activists, Kurfess is being totally ignored by the Governor. This strategy will probably work, but if Kurfess were to draw 40% or more of the vote, Rhodes could be in serious trouble against the Democratic candidate, almost certain to be Lieutenant Governor Richard Celeste, 40. A handsome and aggressive campaigner, Celeste is a Rhodes scholar and former Peace Corps volunteer who faces only token primary opposition.

MISSISSIPPI (June 6). The retirement of Democrat James Eastland, 73, after 36 years in the Senate has opened the floodgates. John Stennis, 76, is Mississippi's other Senator, and the state has not seen a real race for the upper house in 31 years. Now seven eager Democrats and two Republicans are seeking Eastland's seat. The most prominent contender is Governor Cliff Finch, 51, a gladhanding populist who enjoys support among rural whites and urban blacks. But any Governor makes enemies, and three Democrats have a shot at upsetting Finch: his predecessor, former Governor Bill Waller, 51, a folksy Jackson lawyer who has a broad black following after twice prosecuting the accused murderer of Civil Rights Leader Medgar Evers; Columbia Attorney Maurice Dantin, 48, a lean marathon runner who seems to have inherited the help of some key Eastland supporters; and Charles Sullivan, 53, a former Lieutenant Governor from Clarksdale with strength in the northern part of the state. Running as an independent with unknown impact is Charles Evers, brother of the slain Medgar and mayor of Fayette.

IOWA (June 6). The Republican Party's conservative and moderate factions are competing for the nomination to oppose Democratic Senator Dick Clark. Ahead in the polls so far is Roger Jepsen, 49, a former state senator and two-term Lieutenant Governor who campaigns as "the right Republican." He is opposed to abortion, gun control and the Panama Canal treaties. Carrying the G.O.P. banner of moderation is Maurice Van Nostrand, 53, an ally of popular Governor Robert Ray. Van Nostrand says that a Jepsen-Clark contest would lead to a Republican defeat of Goldwater proportions.

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