Checchi Edges Closer to Governor Race, Hires Strategists

Sending a strong signal that he intends to run for governor in 1998, multimillionaire Alfred A. Checchi has assembled a team of veteran political strategists to advise him as he ponders a bid.

Checchi, a Democrat who describes his current effort as exploratory, also has scheduled a major speech to Los Angeles Town Hall on Feb. 4, which will probably serve as his informal coming-out party.

Hired by Checchi were consultant Darry Sragow, media advisor Bob Shrum, pollster Mark Penn and communications strategist Julie Buckner. All but Penn have strong roots in California politics. Penn served as President Clinton’s pollster in his 1996 reelection campaign.

The appointments, apart from their advisory value, underscored the seriousness of Checchi’s effort thus far.

“He feels he has a very compelling message that centers on the need for changes in the way government does business, and it’s my impression that he’s determined to get that message out,” Sragow said.

No firm titles have been assigned to the new team, which is expected to serve throughout the campaign if Checchi decides to run.

“This is a brain trust,” Buckner said. “No formal roles have been defined.”

Still undecided is whether Checchi, whose worth is conservatively estimated at $550 million, will finance his own campaign or rely on more traditional means of fund-raising.

Checchi is embarking on a public soul-searching about the governor’s race after spending about a year privately ruminating on a bid. After the Town Hall address, Checchi plans to take part in a series of meetings across the state during which he will gauge support.

The Beverly Hills resident has cultivated connections in the national party hierarchy and among some state strategists for years, but he would be making his first official bid for office.

The only firm entrant among Democrats is Lt. Gov. Gray Davis, who has amassed millions of dollars to pursue the office. Among Democrats considering a run are state Controller Kathleen Connell, outgoing White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren is the only major Republican candidate thus far. Gov. Pete Wilson is being forced from office by term limits.

Since 1989, Checchi has been co-chairman of Northwest Airlines, for which he and partner Gary Wilson led a $3.65-billion leveraged buyout. After a near-bankruptcy and several rocky years, the company is on solid financial ground and requires little attention from him, Checchi said.

Of Checchi’s advisors, Sragow has the longest ties to California politics. For years, he advised then-Sen. Alan Cranston and former Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy. More recently, he led the unsuccessful 1994 gubernatorial campaign of John Garamendi, and he helped engineer the Democratic takeover of the Assembly last fall.

Shrum has advised countless national politicians, including Sens. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Bob Kerrey of Nebraska. Raised in Los Angeles, he also worked for Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, in Cranston’s 1986 campaign and in John K. Van de Kamp’s run for governor in 1990.

Penn has been a well-known pollster for years, but he gilded his name in 1996 while serving in perhaps the most poll-dependent White House in history.

Buckner toiled in 1992 for U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, in 1994 for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Kathleen Brown and in 1996 for the statewide Democratic presidential effort.