Wild Cards

A Pontiac dealer and a right-winger even by the standards of conservative Arizona, Evan Mecham had previously appeared four times on the ballot for Governor, so often that he became known as the "Harold Stassen of Arizona." Thus he was not taken all that seriously by the Republican establishment. This time around, everyone assumed that Burton Barr, the G.O.P. leader of the house who had the personal backing of Ronald Reagan, would easily capture the nomination and probably go on to win the governorship that Democrat Bruce Babbitt is vacating.

They assumed wrong. Mecham won, and his upset victory has thrown the race into turmoil. His Democratic opponent, also chosen after a tough primary, is Carolyn Warner, for twelve years superintendent of public instruction. That choice left many of the state's top business and political leaders, who had supported neither candidate, scrambling for an alternative. Enter Bill Schulz, a millionaire real estate developer who became a Democrat in the mid-'70s and almost upset Senator Barry Goldwater in the 1980 election.

Democrats, who seemed assured of winning the statehouse with only Mecham to worry about, were rattled by Schulz's late entry. Babbitt and Democratic leaders called a press conference last week to reaffirm their support for Warner. "I've never seen the party so united," said former Governor Sam Goddard. In fact, however, Democrats as well as Republicans helped Schulz get the signatures to run as an independent. The Democrats could be split so badly by the Schulz candidacy that Mecham just might slip into the governorship.

Mecham, who supports and is supported by some members of the John Birch Society, calls himself a constitutionalist, declaring, "It's my firm conviction that the Constitution of this land was brought forth by men who God sent down and inspired to do it." During a 1961 debate he went so far as to claim that President Eisenhower supported socialist policies regarding education. Yet his primary victory seemed to be less an indication of a rightward lurch in Arizona than of resentment against the "Phoenix 40" and other business and political leaders. His nomination sent a message to the "downtown establishment," said Mecham. "No longer can we allow them to go close the door and make the decisions on what's going to happen to the rest of us." Last week's polls showed Warner and Mecham running neck and neck, with Schulz close behind. But an Arizona Republic/Phoenix Gazette survey showed that a quarter of the state's voters are undecided -- or perhaps just confused.