Wilson Visit Draws As Many Foes As Supporters Presidential Hopeful Brings Anti-Affirmative Action Message To Seattle

California Gov. Pete Wilson brought his campaign for president - and against affirmative action - to Washington state Sunday, hoping to find some new admirers among the state’s Republicans.

He clearly found some new enemies, attracting about as many opponents as supporters to a late-morning speech in Seattle.

“There is a better way to see to it that all Americans, all children, all students of every race, of every ethnicity have true equality of opportunity,” Wilson told reporters.

Wilson delivered much the same message to about 140 people at a private fundraising brunch at the Rainier Club, the governor’s spokesman said.

Wilson repeated his position on affirmative action during a brief meeting with Arthur Fletcher, a former member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and a Republican presidential candidate.

Fletcher, an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor in Washington in 1968, flew to Seattle to challenge Wilson on affirmative action.

“I’m insisting that they come up with a different type of campaign,” Fletcher said. “This race-baiting has got to stop.”

Wilson stands in the middle of the nation’s debate over affirmative action. He ended some affirmative action in California by executive order, then led University of California regents to drop race and gender requirements for admission. This month, he sued his own state over affirmative-action requirements for hiring and contracts.

Wilson is battling what he told reporters is the “unfairness that results from explicit racial preferences.” The words “affirmative action” rarely form on Wilson’s lips.

“What I am protesting and correcting in California is in fact explicit racial and gender preferences,” Wilson said. “I think it is remarkably dishonest and a terrible disservice, a terrible default in leadership on the part of the president to say, ‘I’m opposed to quotas, but I support affirmative action.’ What he is saying is he is opposed to quotas, but he supports racial preferences. That’s a distinction without a difference.”

Wilson said affirmative action, not the opposition to it, has divided the nation and created racial discrimination.

But Wilson, a former U.S. senator and San Diego mayor, said he does not believe people are disadvantaged because of their race. Instead, he pointed to dysfunctional families and poor nutrition and health care for children.

As Wilson spoke at the Rainier Club, as many as 150 protesters from civil rights, women’s, labor, gay and other groups protested. “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Pete Wilson’s got to go!” they chanted.

Wilson said he intends to make several trips to Washington state. He said he is confident he will emerge as a survivor among the early candidates. He pointed to polls that show him moving up, including an August New York Times survey that showed his support had increased from 3 percent to 6 percent.