Edition: U.S. / Global

Abortion Issue Turns Republican Primary Into Family Feud

Published: September 1, 1996

So far, the challenger has accused the incumbent of election law violations, ethical lapses and an anti-Catholic voting record.

The incumbent has said the tactics of those who oppose her were ''like Hitler.'' Her supporters turned her competitor in to the I.R.S.

And those are just the Republicans.

The primary race between freshman Representative Sue Kelly and former Representative Joseph DioGuardi in New York's 19th Congressional District is not just another ugly intramural grudge match. With House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Majority Leader Dick Armey and John Boehner, the Republican Conference chairman, trooping to New York to raise money for Mrs. Kelly and grass-roots conservative leaders like Paul Weyrich and Phyllis Schlafly supporting Mr. DioGuardi, the race has caused an unusually open family feud in Republican circles.

''Tom DeLay followed me at a meeting in San Diego and became livid. He was shouting at me,'' for supporting Mr. DioGuardi, Mr. Weyrich said, though he and Mr. DeLay, the House Republican whip, have been close friends for years.

The party's deep divisions on abortion are being played out in the race in the 19th District, which includes parts of Westchester, Putnam, Orange and Dutchess counties. Mrs. Kelly supports abortion rights and Mr. DioGuardi does not. But party and personal loyalties are also very much at issue.

Mr. Gingrich has said he would protect the Republican majority by supporting incumbents in all cases -- except for Wes Cooley, the Oregon Congressman accused of lying about his military record and his marriage. He punished Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey for breaking ranks and supporting Mr. DioGuardi over Mrs. Kelly. Now Mr. Smith, who heads the Helsinki Commission, will not be allowed to lead a delegation to Bosnia to monitor the elections there.

Then there is the matter of Mrs. Kelly's own loyalty, since as an abortion rights demonstrator she once protested outside the office of her predecessor, the late Representative Hamilton Fish Jr., wearing full-length black robes and carrying a sign that said, ''Fish Equals Women in the Dark Ages.''

''It was a demonstration, not really focused on Ham as far as I know,'' she said in an interview. She said she wore a chador that her husband had brought back from Saudi Arabia for her.

''They live in the dark ages, and I said, 'This is great. I'm going to put this on,' '' she said and shrugged. ''I'm a country woman and we do things differently.''

Mrs. Kelly also denies reports that she worked against Mr. Fish in his last race, though Democratic challenger Neil McCarthy and others who worked in the race have said she did.

''I have a friend who's no longer a friend that wanted to meet with him,'' she said, referring to Mr. McCarthy, ''and I took her down there and she worked with him,'' she said. ''But I never went in there and stuffed envelopes.''

In one of the race's several other strange sub-subplots, the two candidates are squabbling over Mr. Gingrich's affections -- even as many Republican candidates throughout the country are busy affecting a ''Newt who?'' coolness to the Speaker.

(Mr. DioGuardi says he wrote a book, published by a vanity press, with Mr. Gingrich in the 80's; Mrs. Kelly says it was just a chapter of a book.)

Mr. Gingrich and the rest of the House leadership team started the controversy in June, when they sent Mr. DioGuardi, a former national finance chairman of Mr. Gingrich's political action committee, Gopac, a terse letter inviting him to get out of the race.

''Should it become necessary,'' said the letter, ''the House Republican leadership is prepared to commit time and extensive resources to Sue Kelly's re-election efforts.''

That infuriated some conservatives, who said Mrs. Kelly's vote against a ban on ''partial-birth'' abortions made Mr. DioGuardi their more natural ally.

''If one has to put aside one's conscience to belong to the Republican conference, it's a sad day,'' Mr. Weyrich said.

But the leaders made good on their promise, delivering personal appearances and cash to Mrs. Kelly and sanctioning Mr. Smith. (Representative Bob Dornan of California, who also supports Mr. DioGuardi, was originally to have been sanctioned as well, but a spokesman said nothing came of it.)

''You do need to behave like a family, but we're Joe DioGuardi's family,'' said Mr. Smith, who opposes abortion rights and knew Mr. DioGuardi when he served in Congress from 1985 to 1988. He said he also felt less conflict than he might have because Mrs. Kelly had openly opposed his friend Mr. Fish in 1992.

Campaigning in shops on the main thoroughfare in Mahopac in Putnam County on a recent day, Mrs. Kelly tried to get out the vote for the Sept. 10 primary that will likely decide the race in this predominantly Republican district. Others in the race are a third Republican, Jim Russell, and Dr. Richard Klein, a Democrat.

''We still have a stupid primary, so come out,'' she called to one passer-by.

A tanned 59-year-old businesswoman who keeps horses on her Katonah spread, Mrs. Kelly is an eager campaigner, if still showing a little inexperience at meeting the masses.