http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/02 ... _22_07.txt

Friday, February 23, 2007
Last modified Friday, February 23, 2007 9:44 AM PST


Hunter bringing GOP campaign to San Diego on Saturday

By: MARK WALKER ---- staff writer

NORTH COUNTY ---- U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter will bring his long-odds presidential campaign to San Diego on Saturday for a $250-per-plate breakfast at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina.

The Republican lawmaker is currently polling around 1 percent nationally. In California, he registered 6 percent in a survey of 851 likely state voters conducted between Feb. 9 and Feb. 13 by El Cajon's Datamar Inc.

On Thursday, Hunter was in South Carolina where he announced he would campaign in each of that state's 46 counties.

"Our strong, traditional Ronald Reagan conservative message is resonating with grass-roots Republicans in South Carolina," he said during a press conference in the city of Columbia. "They want a president who has the personal background and experience to win the war on terror and one who understands national security issues."

Hunter also announced he had won the backing of several South Carolina officials, including the head of the state's county elected officials association, Lois Eargle.

Roy Tyler, Hunter's campaign spokesman, said the 14-term congressman whose district includes parts of North County also is hoping to capture a March 1 straw poll of county precinct officers. Hunter emerged on top of a similar poll of precinct officers last month in Arizona's Maricopa County, which includes the city of Phoenix.

Despite the Arizona showing, some attention from conservative bloggers and the endorsement of retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Chuck Yeager, the former test pilot of "right stuff" fame, Hunter's effort is deemed a long shot at best because of his relative lack of national stature, little money and as of now, a loose-knit campaign team.

None of those challenges, however, should cause anyone to write Hunter off at this stage of a long 2008 presidential campaign season, according to his Phoenix-based campaign manager, Sydney Hay.

"Congressman Hunter has tremendous appeal among grass-roots conservative voters," she said during a telephone interview Thursday. "We don't need a lot of money to attend Lincoln Day dinners and Republican events in the heartland where he will shine among these voters."

Hunter bills himself as the only true conservative among the announced GOP presidential candidates. During his appearances, he routinely talks about the need for strong measures along the U.S.-Mexico border to control illegal immigration, zealous support for national security issues and ending unfair trading practices that he contends are costing U.S. workers jobs.

Hay said the fact that Hunter has no more than $400,000 donated or pledged to his campaign at this point is not a handicap despite the millions being raised by other Republican hopefuls such as Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

"At this juncture we have the resources necessary for this campaign," said Hay, who's well-known in Arizona as a conservative former radio talk show host and unsuccessful 2002 congressional candidate. "This campaign doesn't need a myriad of high-paid consultants or staffers and he doesn't need image meisters to create an image for him.

"We can campaign in the early states and campaign aggressively."

That doesn't mean Hunter isn't trying to keep pace in the money race. He is about to launch a fundraising telemarketing and direct mail effort that will target conservative voters across the country.

The former chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and now its senior Republican member, Hunter continues to try and sway his congressional colleagues to support President Bush's policies in Iraq. His office also continues to churn out news releases stating Hunter's reaction to the latest news out of Iraq and Afghanistan and from the military, which has long counted on Hunter's support.

After formally announcing his candidacy in South Carolina, Hunter continues to spend most of his time there and in Iowa and New Hampshire, all early primary states in 2008. California lawmakers and the governor are expected to move the state's presidential primary to Feb. 5, 2008.

He also plans appearances soon in Michigan and Alabama.

Hunter's San Diego fundraiser will include an assignment for those present, a crowd largely expected to include longtime supporters.

"At the end of the breakfast, we'll hand everyone a cell phone and the name of a grass-roots activist in an early primary state and ask them to call that person and seek their support for Duncan Hunter," Hay said.