February 2002

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Kyl Sets Bid For Policy Job 2/28/2002 6:22 PM Eyeing one of at least two open posts in the Senate GOPleadership, Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.) has begun to shore up support to become the Republican Policy Committee chairman in the 108th Congress. Kyl has also opened up a leadership political action committee designed to help raise money for colleagues heading into a hotly contested Senate campaign season, a move made by several junior colleagues who are looking for paths into the GOP leadership. "I am very interested in running for chairman of the Policy Committee," Kyl said in an interview this week. Read the article Blunt Says He'll Seek Consensus 2/28/2002 6:16 PM As the only remaining candidate for the No. 3 House GOPleadership post, Rep. Roy Blunt (Mo.) this week worked to distinguish himself as a "listener" who would maintain an open door to all factions of the RepublicanConference if elected in the fall. Blunt, who has rounded up the vast majority of House Republicans' votes, however, stopped short of laying claim to the Majority Whip title, stressing that there are still nine months left before the November leadership elections. Read the article Blunt Unopposed in House Whip Race 2/27/2002 2:48 PM Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri has been left with no opposition in his bid to succeed House Majority Whip Tom DeLay. Rep. Ray LaHood of Illinois dropped out of the race. Blunt serves as DeLay's deputy and had his backing for the post, which is the No. 3 position in the Republican leadership. LaHood, a four-term lawmaker from Peoria, was unable to generate enough backing among fellow Republicans to overcome DeLay's endorsement. House Speaker Dennis Hastert stayed out of the leadership fight, although like LaHood he is from Illinois. The whip is a party's chief vote-counter and arm-twister and ranks just behind the speaker and the majority leader. Read the article Poll: Romney Leads Governor's Race 2/27/2002 2:03 PM Though he hasn't said he's running, Olympic chief Mitt Romney leads all five Democrats running for governor, according to a new poll that also found voters dissatisfied with the performance of acting Gov. Jane M. Swift. The poll published in Wednesday's Boston Herald showed 57 percent of registered voters gave the chief organizer of the Salt Lake City Olympics a favorable rating, compared with 27 percent for fellow Republican Swift. Swift's unfavorable rating was 53 percent, compared with Romney's 8 percent. The poll also showed Romney, who has homes in Massachusetts and Utah and has not announced his political plans, outpacing the Democrats, while Swift lagged behind top contenders. Romney ran for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts in 1994. Read the article Governors' Primaries First Test of November Election 2/27/2002 10:58 AM The battle for control of governors' offices in the 2002 elections finally begins to take shape with March primaries in California, Texas and Illinois. Strategists are watching closely to see if primary contests in the coming months take a toll on their party's chances. Republicans are already witnessing what can happen when a governor's primary turns unpredictable. Richard Riordan, a 71-year-old millionaire businessman and former mayor of Los Angeles has slipped into a close contest with conservative businessman Bill Simon. Riordan, whose policies are very moderate for a Republican, might be stronger in a general election against incumbent Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, but Simon could have an advantage with core GOP voters. Read the article President Bush Helps Elizabeth Dole Raise Money 2/27/2002 10:39 AM Two years after he drove Elizabeth Dole from the 2000 presidential race by dominating Republican fund-raising, President Bush is helping his former rival collect money for her U.S. Senate campaign. Bush met with congressional leaders at the White House on Wednesday to discuss voting system changes, before flying to Charlotte, N.C., to talk with community leaders about his plan to move more welfare recipients into jobs. Bush wants to build on a 1996 law that cut welfare rolls in half in part by stiffening work requirements. Read the article Riordan, Simon Tie in California Governor's Race 2/26/2002 11:21 PM Former Mayor Richard Riordan, the one-time front-runner for the Republican nomination for governor, has slipped into a dead heat with a conservative businessman making his first try for office, according to a poll released Tuesday, a week before the primary. The Los Angeles Times poll found Riordan and Bill Simon tied with 31 percent support among people likely to vote in the March 5 primary. A Times poll last month showed Riordan with 14-point lead over Simon. Read the article House GOP Split over Fate of Reform Defectors 2/25/2002 3:04 PM House Republicans are split over how to respond to members of their caucus who signed a discharge petition that forced campaign finance reform to the floor and who voted lockstep with Democrats against a series of GOP amendments. While some lawmakers are urging their colleagues to forgive and forget, others insist that those who undermined the GOP leadership and future control of the Chamber must pay the consequences. Read the article Women Head Missouri's Two Main Political Parties 2/25/2002 2:50 PM They live barely 10 miles apart in suburban St. Louis. They both are married with three children and a nanny. They both drive vans. They both got involved politics only after graduating from college. Now May Scheve and Ann Wagner -- both in their late 30s -- are the first women in Missouri history to head the state Democratic and Republican parties. So similar demographically yet opposites politically, the two women will be leading their parties' efforts this year in a high-profile U.S. Senate race and an intense battle to win control of the Missouri Legislature. Read the article Cheney Gets Warm Reception From Wyoming Legislature 2/25/2002 2:45 PM Receiving a warm welcome from members of the legislative body from which he launched his political career, Vice President Dick Cheney said the Sept. 11 terrorists "picked the wrong target" when they attacked the United States. "I have never been more confident of victory," Cheney told the Wyoming Legislature, where he signed up as a 24-year-old intern in 1965. Cheney cited the professionalism of the military, the heroism of the passengers of Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, the courage of the New York City firefighters, the leadership of President Bush and the patriotism of the American people as reasons for the nation's resilience after Sept. 11. Read the article Dickey Plans To Announce Rematch 2/25/2002 2:42 PM Having secured key support from House GOP leaders, ex-Rep. Jay Dickey (R) will announce his plans to seek a rematch with Rep. Mike Ross (D) this week. Dickey decided to seek the 4th district seat, a Democratic stronghold which he nonetheless held from 1993 to 2001, after Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.)and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Davis (Va.)promised to restore his seniority and give him the seat he held on the Appropriations Committee if he wins. Davis is scheduled to meet with Dickey and state Republican leaders in Arkansas today, GOP sources said. Read the article For Members, a Great Appreciation 2/25/2002 2:41 PM When House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) and his wife, Jane, plunked down $229,500 on a town house in a Northern Virginia suburb in 1996, the couple ended up with more than just a home away from home. Their modest Sterling, Va., town house also turned out to be a sound investment in their future. The value increased by nearly 40 percent over the next five years, enabling the Gephardts to cash in on their digs and trade up to a more convenient and impressive address near Capitol Hill. Read the article Representative Davis Favored To Win Gavel 2/25/2002 2:40 PM With less than a year left in Rep. Dan Burton's (R-Ind.) tenure as chairman of the Government Reform Committee, the race to replace him has attracted a large field of senior lawmakers that includes two current members of leadership and a GOP pariah. Although it may be too early to handicap the race definitively, several Republican aides said the current favorite to succeed the term-limited Burton is Rep. Tom Davis (Va.), who is in his fourth year as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. "If we hold the House, leadership will feel very indebted to him, and as there are no open leadership posts, there's only one other place for him to go," said a GOP aide familiar with the situation. "It would be hard for them to say no to him." Read the article Rogers to Run for Colorado Congressional Seat 2/19/2002 10:09 PM Republican Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers on Tuesday joined the race for the state's new congressional district, a key seat in the battle for control of Congress. "Colorado's new congressional seat represents a new point in terms of a new opportunity for Colorado, in terms of increasing our influence and power in the United States of America," Rogers said. Other candidates include Republican Rick O'Donnell, director of the governor's Office of Policy and Initiatives, former Democratic state Sen. Mike Feeley, and Democratic state Sen. Bob Hagedorn. Read the article Clinton Prosecutor May Run for Senate 2/19/2002 3:13 PM Robert Ray, who followed Kenneth Starr as the independent counsel investigating Bill and Hillary Clinton, is considering a race for the Republican nomination to oppose Democratic Sen. Robert Torricelli in New Jersey. Federal law bars Ray from engaging in political activity until he resigns his post. National and state Republican officials confirmed that Ray has met with them to discuss a campaign. Reached at his home in Monmouth County, N.J., Monday, Ray declined to talk about his political plans. "I'm thinking about these things. That's no secret. But I have to stay within the appropriateness of the job I have," he said. Read the article Warner to Run for Fifth Senate Term 2/19/2002 2:56 PM Virginia Sen. John Warner on Tuesday confirmed what had been widely expected: He will seek a fifth term this year. "If there ever were a time, in my judgment, when the Commonwealth of Virginia, needed experience ... it is now, given the rather serious shortfalls in our projected budget situation," Warner said in his first stop on a five-day, 17-city blitz. The Republican turned 75 on Monday but said he had no thoughts of retiring. "The 7 million people of Virginia will send me a signal when it's time to step down," Warner told about 100 supporters at Norfolk's MacArthur Memorial. Read the article Roy Blunt named Missouri Republican of Year 2/18/2002 8:50 PM The testimonials were gushing, the standing ovation lingering, the handshakes enthusiastic as U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt was honored as Missouri Republican of the Year. Blunt just grinned during the weekend when asked to consider what a difference a decade can make in politics. "People admire in politics a willingness to come back," Blunt finally replied. He didn't always have reason to smile. Ten years ago, Blunt was battling for the governorship at a GOP convention in the same Springfield hotel during one of Missouri's most bitter party primaries. Read the article Americans Place Lincoln at Top of Greatest Presidents' Poll, George W. Bush Ahead of Reagan 2/18/2002 8:39 PM Abraham Lincoln has moved to the top of the list of greatest presidents in an ABC News poll for President's Day that saw George W. Bush ease ahead of Ronald Reagan in the overall survey and among Republicans. Lincoln was chosen by 20 percent, while the current president and John F. Kennedy were essentially tied for second -- with Kennedy at 14 percent and Bush at 13 percent. Reagan, Bill Clinton and Franklin Roosevelt were tied for third at 8 percent apiece. In the same ABC poll a year ago, Reagan was at the top with 18 percent, Kennedy 16 percent and Lincoln 14 percent. Read the article 2002 Olympics Could Aid Romney Comeback 2/18/2002 12:27 PM Is Republican Mitt Romney hoping that the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City will serve as a launching pad for a political comeback? Romney, a venture capitalist and son of the late Republican Gov. George Romney of Michigan, failed to unseat Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) in 1984. But he told television interviewers over the weekend that he is, indeed, interested in running for political office when the Olympics are over. Read the article California GOP Reluctant to Rally Behind Riordan 2/18/2002 12:22 PM He is a Republican with a habit of writing fat checks to Democrats. He may be the GOP's only hope to reclaim power in California, but some party faithful say they prefer political exile to his liberal views on social issues. A multimillionaire with charm and wit, he is also so prone to gaffes that his aides forever fear what he might say next. And that is only some of the contradiction and intrigue in Richard Riordan's tumultuous, front-running campaign to become the next governor of the nation's most populous state. Read the article Missouri Republicans take Swipes at Carnahan 2/18/2002 12:17 PM Republican Jim Talent says he's promoting his own Washington experience as he campaigns to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan -- not running against a widely admired widow who ascended to the Senate through personal tragedy and political appointment. "Let us go forward in graciousness," Talent, former four-term congressman from St. Louis County and narrow loser of a 2000 bid for governor, exhorted Republicans during the party's weekend Lincoln Days. But other Missouri Republicans took off their gloves as they endorsed Talent, labeling Mrs. Carnahan a "rubber-stamp minion" for Senate Democrats and urging voters to give her "a one-way ticket from Washington, D.C., back to Rolla." Read the article Vitter Seriously Considering Governor Bid 2/6/2002 10:15 PM One month after Sen. John Breaux (D)opted to skip the state's 2003 gubernatorial race, Rep. David Vitter (R) edged toward his own bid to succeed term-limited Gov. Mike Foster (R), saying he would be "very interested"and "very excited"to govern the Bayou State. Vitter, who narrowly beat ex-Gov. Dave Treen (R) in a 1999 special election to succeed ex-Rep. Bob Livingston (R), expressed confidence that he would prevail if he runs. Read the article McCain Slowed Fundraising in '01 2/6/2002 10:14 PM As several leading Democrats eyeing White House bids in 2004 stockpiled contributions in multiple campaign accounts last year, President Bush's former GOP archrival, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), dramatically scaled back his own political operations. In the last half of 2001, McCain's Straight Talk America political action committee took in $233,410 in contributions, about $1 million less than it had the previous six months. He also pared the previously lavish spending of Straight Talk, dropping a top political adviser from its payroll and registering $425,644 in expenses - less than half of what it spent over the previous six months. Read the article Zell Miller: Georgia's 'Junior Contrarian' 2/6/2002 10:13 PM When Sen. Zell Miller (D) was in the governor's office, he defied the wishes of many Georgians who questioned his loyalty when he tried to remove the "stars and bars" from the state flag. Since being selected and then elected to fill the remainder of the late Sen. Paul Coverdell's (R-Ga.) term, Miller's loyalty has again come into question, this time by Democrats who privately gripe that he votes too often with Republicans and publicly supports President Bush's domestic agenda. Read the article GOP Marches in Step with Bush Priorities 2/4/2002 2:44 PM Hoping to capitalize on President Bush's popularity in the upcoming midterm elections, congressional Republicans have designed their message to echo nearly word-for-word the priorities Bush outlined in his State of the Union speech. Coordination about the speech included discussions between Bush and 20 GOP congressional leaders at Camp David last weekend. Administration officials also developed talking points to be used by members of Congress and held a special briefing for congressional press secretaries the day of the speech. According to numerous polls, Bush's popularity ratings have been higher for a longer period of time than any modern president, boosted in part because of his role as leader of the war on terrorism. Read the article Jesse Helms Touts Elizabeth Dole as Successor 2/4/2002 2:03 PM Sen. Jesse Helms made it clear Thursday night in a speech to fellow conservative Republicans that he fully supports Elizabeth Dole's bid to fill the North Carolina seat he has held in the U.S. Senate for five terms. Helms didn't officially endorse her, but left little doubt that Dole was his preferred successor. "She'll make North Carolina proud when she walks down the center aisle in the Senate next fall," Helms told a crowd at the Conservative Political Action Committee's annual conference. "The new conservative Republican senator from North Carolina, Elizabeth Dole." Read the article Feinstein Knocks Ad Linking Dole, Enron 2/4/2002 2:01 PM U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, criticized on Saturday her party's advertisement linking GOP Senate candidate Elizabeth Dole to the Enron scandal. "I don't happen to like this," Feinstein said in an interview with CNN. "I'm not a great fan of this kind of ad." Read the article