(03-11) 16:06 PST LOS ANGELES, (AP) --
In many other states, U.S. Senate candidate Chuck DeVore could be a rising political star, aligning himself with the budding tea party movement and the growing animosity toward increases in government spending.
A termed-out lawmaker known for his right-wing rhetoric on the floor of the California Assembly, DeVore has the pedigree of the ideal conservative candidate: leader in the Orange County Republican Party, Desert Storm veteran and officer in the Army National Guard, consistent record speaking out against tax hikes and critic of global warming.
His critiques even have been bipartisan. DeVore didn't like the bank bailout that began under President George W. Bush and he has railed against the Obama administration's efforts to sustain automakers and combat the recession.
It's that consistency that has made DeVore popular with skeptics of federal interventions of just about any sort and has endeared him to the most loyal party die-hards.
In California, however, being the darling of conservative activists and elements of the tea party movement goes only so far.
A Field Poll released in January showed that just 6 percent of likely voters in June's Republican primary said they would support DeVore in the Senate race against his opponents, former congressman Tom Campbell and former Hewlett-Packard Co. chief executive Carly Fiorina.
Barack Obama's 24-point victory over John McCain two years ago in California suggests a right-wing candidate such as DeVore would have face great difficulty in a statewide general election. Republicans in the state have slipped to just 31 percent of the electorate.
DeVore is undeterred. Despite greater name recognition for his primary opponents, DeVore believes he is best positioned to catch the rising tide against government deficit spending. He also believes his record of advocating small-government principles makes him the best candidate to challenge Democrat Barbara Boxer, who is seeking a fourth term in the Senate.
Each candidate will be appealing to primary voters this weekend during the California Republican Party convention in Santa Clara, the biggest stage so far for them to gauge their viability.
DeVore, 47, lags as badly in fundraising as he does in the polls, yet has managed to carve out a niche in the Republican primary contest, serving as Fiorina's main foil. His criticism of the wealthy former CEO began when the Republican contest was a two-candidate race and has increased since the moderate Campbell entered the race in January.
He has surprised Fiorina at least twice when she was a guest on talk radio programs, calling in to challenge her conservative credentials. One such exchange last month prompted Fiorina to respond, "Quit attacking me and start talking to the voters of California about what you would actually do."
When a Fiorina Web advertisement criticized Campbell as a wolf in sheep's clothing on fiscal matters, it was the Devore campaign that portrayed the ad as a fiasco, helping to propel the phrase "demon sheep" into California political lore.
He has been particularly adept at highlighting any missteps that could reveal Fiorina's unfamiliarity with an issue, such as when she said California should not rule out bankruptcy as an option for its current financial problems. States cannot legally file for bankruptcy protection.
If he doesn't win the June primary, DeVore seems intent on taking Fiorina down with him. By comparison, his criticism of Campbell, who as emerged as the front-runner, has been muted.
"Campbell would be the stronger candidate," DeVore said when asked to explain his attacks on Fiorina. "Campbell's flaws are less fatal and exploitable."
Others see DeVore's attacks on Fiorina as pure political calculation. Where Campbell is a social moderate in favor of gay marriage and abortion rights, DeVore and Fiorina are trying to appeal to the party's most conservative elements to gain voters for the June primary.
"He and Fiorina are competing for the same votes, because Fiorina made a strategic decision to go to the right," said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College in Southern California. "His underlying message is that if you want a strong, conservative alternative to Tom Campbell, it's Chuck DeVore, not Carly Fiorina."
A campaign spokeswoman for Fiorina said DeVore's attention shows he is much more worried about her than Campbell.
"It's a recognition that Tom Campbell's record won't square with California primary voters," spokeswoman Julie Soderlund said. "It's a recognition that Campbell will fall in the polls and that Carly is truly the one to beat."
Yet trying to appeal to California's most conservative voters also puts Fiorina — and DeVore, if he manages an upset victory in June — in danger taking stands that could come back to haunt them in the general election.
For example, Fiorina criticized a Boxer proposal to tax the bonuses of CEOs at financial institutions that received a taxpayer bailout through the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which began under Bush. Polling indicates that a special tax on corporate bonuses has widespread appeal with Republicans, Democrats and independents. Democrats and independents account for two-thirds of the California electorate.
Soderlund stressed that Fiorina opposes tax increases of any kind and that she had called on all board members and executives at companies receiving bailout money to resign.
DeVore said he won't back away from his conservative opinions if his campaign makes it beyond June. In fact, he said, there has never been a better time to run as an unabashed conservative in left-leaning California.
He said he believes voters are worried about the expansion of the federal government and what he considers to be out-of-control government spending.
"Unlike my competitors in the Republican primary," DeVore said, "I'm the real deal and I can win."
