Orange County Republicans evangelize outside Draeger's Orange County Republicans evangelize outside Draeger's (August 18, 2004)

** Verbal barrage comes with the territory.

By David Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer

In the days and weeks leading up to the November election, a friendly wave in San Mateo County may be a little hard to come by when you set up by the side of the road and advertise your desire to convert voters to the Republican party.

Such a purpose brought Jeff Riley, 18, and his mother Paula Wagner -- both Orange County Republicans -- to a spot on the edge of the Draeger's Market parking lot in Menlo Park, where they regularly set up a card table, an umbrella, a Bush-Cheney poster, and a sign that begins, "Change to Republican here." They have good days but plenty of bad ones, too, Mr. Riley said.

The Menlo Park police came by recently and asked them to move their table away from the Draeger's entrance, which Mr. Riley attributed to an anti-Republican bias on the store's part. Democrats had later set up "right in front of the store" and the police were not called, he said. A Draeger's clerk said Mr. Riley's table was blocking the entrance and that they had been resistant to moving, and that it had nothing to do with their party affiliation.

The upscale venue of Draeger's parking lot was their own choice, Ms. Wagner said, and not the decision of Braveheart Petitions, the Southern California consulting group she and her son work for. Draeger's has a high volume of traffic, she said, and "the customers are very nice."

Apparently people passing by in cars are a different crowd, shouting "very rude comments," Mr. Riley said. Among them: "We don't want you here;" "You should be ashamed of yourselves;" and "Murderers."

"It has its ups and downs," Mr. Riley said. "It depends on the mood of the day, I suppose."

While they did not have precise numbers, Ms. Wagner said she and her son have registered about 200 voters a week since June, and that 10 percent of them are Democrats wanting to convert to the Republican party. During the interview of about 20 minutes, one person registered to vote and she declined to state her party affiliation.

The two stay in a hotel at their own expense, Ms. Wagner said. They plan to be in the area until after the deadline for voter registration passes in October.

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