April 2002

TeamGOP Home Daily News via Email Get TeamGOP.com news every day. Enter your email address in the field below. News Archive July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 January 2002 December 2001 November 2001 October 2001 September 2001 August 2001 July 2001 June 2001 May 2001 April 2001 March 2001 February 2001 January 2001 December 2000 November 2000 October 2000 September 2000 August 2000 July 2000 June 2000 May 2000 April 2000 March 2000 February 2000 January 2000 December 1999 November 1999 October 1999 September 1999 August 1999 Questions? Feel free to email us with your questions, comments, and concerns.

In Missouri Senate Race Poll, Women are Key 4/30/2002 12:05 PM A new poll signals that Missouri's women voters could well determine who wins the Senate contest this fall. The poll, by Zogby International, shows Sen. Jean Carnahan, D-Mo., with a slim statewide edge among likely voters -- 49.6 percent to 43.9 percent -- over her Republican rival, former Rep. Jim Talent. The reason: Carnahan holds a lead of almost 11 percentage points among likely women voters. She and Talent are neck-and-neck among the men surveyed. "Women are the key," said pollster John Zogby. The importance of women voters helps explain why Carnahan emphasized issues deemed particularly important to women -- such as health care, Social Security and education -- during her campaign kickoff Sunday. And why Talent has been holding a series of "Women for Talent" events featuring prominent women Republicans. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, was the attraction at Monday's event in Clayton. Read the article Message Man Is Like a Younger Bush 4/28/2002 9:38 PM Since he was a 23-year-old working in the Texas governor's policy office, Daniel J. Bartlett has always occupied a privileged place in the world of George W. Bush. "We kidded him and called him 'the vice,' as in vice governor," said Mike Meece, then a colleague in the office and now an official at the Commerce Department. "It was pretty clear to everyone then that Dan had a special relationship with the governor." Last week, with the announced departure of presidential counselor Karen P. Hughes, the vice, at the ripe old age of 30, is in line to be the top message maven in the White House, responsible for shaping President Bush's public image and positioning. He's the most senior White House official of his age since George Stephanopoulos -- heady stuff for a guy who, not long ago, raised steer and ran a feed store while serving as president of the Future Farmers of America chapter at Rockwall High in suburban Dallas. Read the article Missouri Senate Race may Focus on Political Experience 4/28/2002 9:36 PM This year's Missouri Senate race features the former governor's widow, who's never won an election, against a Republican who has won four elections for Congress and just missed winning the governorship in 2000. She's the incumbent. Although he's the challenger, former Rep. Jim Talent wants to make political experience an issue against Sen. Jean Carnahan in what is expected to be one of the year's most closely contested Senate races. He brings up the question in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. "Since neither of us has ever run for the U.S. Senate, I believe that debates and candidates' forums will be particularly interesting and important to the citizens of Missouri," Talent wrote recently in a letter to Carnahan. Read the article Shifts Predicted After Hughes's Exit 4/24/2002 4:46 PM The departure of Karen P. Hughes, President Bush's most intimate political aide, will pose a serious challenge to this White House's signature asset: its unprecedented control over information and disciplined adherence to "message." Hughes, whom Bush dubbed "the High Prophet" and others labeled "the Enforcer," exercises extraordinary dominance over every image and word that comes from the Bush White House -- overseeing its press relations, speechwriting, political "spin" and presidential appearances. Other Bush aides and would-be leakers fear her intimidating presence -- 5-foot-10 with a size 12 shoe -- combined with her forceful manner and unquestioned closeness to Bush. Her return to Texas will deprive Bush of unified control over his public image by a close and powerful confidante. Whether that leads to the unraveling of the Bush White House's discipline can be known only after some months. But her absence will inevitably change the White House. Read the article South Dakota Senate Race a Proxy War 4/24/2002 4:01 PM One-term incumbent Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson and the state's at-large Republican Rep. John Thune are racing for the Senate seat in South Dakota, but the showdown is turning out to be a proxy war between President Bush and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. A Thune victory could turn the one-seat Democratic majority in the Senate over to the Republicans. It would also be an immense blow to Daschle's prestige, even though South Dakota's senior senator is not up for re-election. "We are poised to be a part of changing the course of history in this country," Thune said recently. Read the article Jewish Voters Gravitating Toward GOP 4/24/2002 1:21 PM Jewish Americans make up only 2.5 percent of the U.S. population but they vote in higher percentages than any other minority group in the country. Typically, they are known as staunch Democrats, but as more of the traditional left of the Democratic Party gravitate toward the Palestinian cause, American Jews are indicating that they place more trust in the party of George W. Bush. "Prior to Sept. 11 on my radio show, a lot of people would call and say, "Rabbi, how dare you support a Republican,"" offered Rabbi Chaim Mentz, a Los Angeles radio talk show host. "Now, all of a sudden, after Sept. 11, they notice there is a moral clarity which America never showed, which is an alliance with our brethren that may be living in Israel," he added. Read the article Lawmakers: Cuomo Should Quit Race 4/24/2002 1:19 PM Several Democratic state lawmakers said Wednesday that Andrew Cuomo should quit the governor's race, saying his criticism of Gov. George Pataki's post-Sept. 11 leadership demonstrated "inexperience and a lack of political maturity." Cuomo, 44, the former federal housing secretary and elder son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo, said he would not drop his bid. Read the article Dole Leads Bowles In Two Recent Surveys 4/23/2002 4:35 PM Two polls released last week show Elizabeth Dole (R) holding a double-digit lead over Erskine Bowles (D) in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Jesse Helms (R), although the size of Dole's lead depends on the poll. Dole led Bowles 62 percent to 27 percent, according to a GOPpoll of 600 likelyvoters conducted for the Republican March 24-27 by Voter/Consumer Research. The margin of error was 4 percent. Dole also led two other Democratic candidates who are not expected to show strongly in the Senate primary. She led state Rep. Dan Blue 64 percent to 22 percent and edged out North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall 63 percent to 26 percent. Read the article Top Bush Aide Hughes Resigning 4/23/2002 4:32 PM White House counselor Karen Hughes, one of President Bush's closest confidants and perhaps the most influential woman ever to serve an American president, announced her resignation Tuesday. Bush said he will continue to seek her advice from afar. "She may be changing addresses, but she's not leaving my inner circle," the president said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press shortly after Hughes' surprise announcement made her the first top White House aide to depart Bush's staff. Hughes, 45, an aide to Bush since his days as Texas governor, unveiled her plans for a summertime departure at a daily White House briefing. "Later this summer, I'm going to be changing the way in which I serve the president. My husband and I have made a difficult but we think right decision to move our family home back to Texas," she said. Read the article House GOPers Beat Democrats in Same Districts 4/17/2002 9:54 PM Three of the four House Republicans who have been pitted against Democratic incumbents enjoy a considerable cash advantage, new fundraising reports show. GOP Reps. Nancy Johnson (Conn.), Chip Pickering (Miss.) and John Shimkus (Ill.) trounced their Democratic opponents, Reps. Jim Maloney (Conn.), Ronnie Shows (Miss.) and David Phelps (Ill.), in the latest round of the money game. The three Republicans significantly outraised their Democratic opponents and banked a lot more cash. Rep. George Gekas (R-Pa.) remained the lone exception. His Democratic opponent, Rep. Tim Holden, outraised him by a margin of two-to one and reported having twice the amount he had in the bank. Nonetheless, Gekas remains the favorite in the newly drawn GOP-leaning 17th District. That could change, however, as Pennsylvania's new congressional map has been invalidated in federal court. Read the article Carnahan has $3.5 million, Talent has $2.1 Million 4/17/2002 6:26 PM Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan banked nearly $3.47 million in her bid to return to the Senate from Missouri, while Republican Jim Talent closed the gap slightly by building his war chest to more than $2.12 million. With help from President Bush, Talent out-raised Mrs. Carnahan in the first three months of the year, pulling in about $1.33 million to Mrs. Carnahan's $1.27 million. Nearly a third of Talent's take for the period came from a fund-raising dinner in St. Louis that featured Bush and brought in an estimated $450,000. In all, Mrs. Carnahan has raised more than $5.57 million in her effort to finish the term her husband won posthumously two years ago. Talent has raised more than $3.1 million since announcing his candidacy last August. Read the article Giuliani Insists On Secrecy For Sessions Event 4/14/2002 7:43 PM Rudy Giuliani(R) flew to Dallas last week to raise money for Rep.Pete Sessions (R-Texas), but most people never heard about Giuliani's visit until it was over. At Giuliani's request, the Congressman did little to publicize the closed-door event. Republicans plan to rely heavily on the former New York mayor as a potent fundraising weapon in close House and Senate races this fall. Next to President Bush and Vice President Cheney, Giuliani, who was named Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for his stewardship of New York after Sept. 11, ranks as perhaps the most popular draw for GOPcandidates running in 2002. In a potentially troubling sign for Republican hopes, however, sources said Giuliani would only agree to attend the $1,000-a-head luncheon if Sessions minimized publicity surrounding the event and banned media access to the conference room at the Westin Galleria in downtown Dallas. Read the article GOP Has Money Edge in Carolinas 4/14/2002 7:41 PM Boosted by recent visits from President Bush, Republicans vying for open Senate seats in the Carolinas, both of whom campaigned against Bush in the 2000 presidential race, continued to outpace their likely Democratic rivals in first-quarter fundraising, according to reports due to be filed today. In North Carolina, Elizabeth Dole (R) raised $2.3 million between Jan. 1 and March 31, far more than Erskine Bowles (D), who drew $1.4 million during the period, according to reports each Senate candidate plans to file with the Federal Election Commission. Bowles reported $1.6 million on hand; Dole's campaign did not release her cash-on-hand total Friday. In South Carolina, Rep. Lindsey Graham (R) collected $1.1 million during the three-month period and banked $2.8 million on March 31. His Democratic rival, Alex Sanders, took in $650,000 and had $1.5 million in reserve as of the end of March. Read the article Oklahoma Governor Hopeful May Not Run 4/9/2002 5:18 PM A Republican candidate for governor said Tuesday he is suspending some of his campaign activities since discovering he might not be qualified to run. Jerry Regier, 56, said he would honor speaking commitments but curtail activities such as fund-raising while he seeks a clarification of the requirements. The former state health and human services secretary said he learned last week that a provision in the state Constitution requires gubernatorial candidates to have been qualified electors for 10 years in Oklahoma. He grew up in Oklahoma, but lived in Virginia until returning seven years ago. Read the article Robert Ray Drops Out of New Jersey Race 4/9/2002 2:10 PM Two Republicans, including former independent counsel Robert Ray, have dropped out of their party's primary for the U.S. Senate, narrowing the field to four. Both Ray and state Assemblyman Guy Gregg said Monday they wanted to avoid hurting the party with a contentious primary. Ray, who entered the race in mid-March after resigning as independent counsel, also said he did not have enough time to campaign effectively. Read the article GOP Senators Vie for Top Fundraising Kudos 4/9/2002 1:05 PM By establishing a new standard of prestige within what has often been called the "world's most exclusive club," Senate Republicans have found a way to turn rivalries within their caucus into millions of dollars worth of funding they hope will enable them to regain their majority in November. Although the "top 10" list made famous by late night comedian David Letterman is far better known, the "top 25 list" that belongs to Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is what GOP senators really care about. Frist, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has created a point system to rank his colleagues by the amount of time and money they give to the party, following through on a pledge he made a year-and-a-half ago to increase participation in party activities. Read the article Nixon Running for Office in Alabama 4/9/2002 1:00 PM Richard M. Nixon is running for state agriculture commissioner in Alabama. You heard right -- Richard M. Nixon. Richard Milton Nixon says he really is in the race -- and he's steaming over his treatment by Republican party officials who thought he was a bogus candidate using the name of the late president. Read the article Bush Helps Candidates in Connecticut 4/9/2002 12:59 PM In his 15th fund-raising swing of the year, President Bush is helping collect money for two members of Congress in Connecticut as he renews his call for Americans to volunteer. Bush was traveling to Old Greenwich, Conn., Tuesday to help Republican Reps. Nancy Johnson and Rob Simmons. Republicans hold a narrow edge in the House and are trying to regain control of the Senate. Bush has been crisscrossing the nation to raise money for their campaigns heading into the November elections. Because of redistricting, Johnson's seat is being eliminated and merged with another district, which Democratic Rep. Jim Maloney has represented since 1997. Their contest is the nation's most closely matched race pairing incumbents from each party. Read the article Tennessee Senate Battle Set After Filing 4/9/2002 12:56 PM The political scramble that erupted in Tennessee when Sen. Fred Thompson (R) announced his retirement one month ago ended Thursday when the filing deadline confirmed that the Volunteer State will play a key role in the 2002 fight to control both chambers of Congress. One day after the Senate race officially began, ex-Gov. Lamar Alexander (R)started airing his second round of "Plain Talk"radio ads, designed to sound themes that dispute Rep.Ed Bryant's (R)claims to the race's conservative mantle. Read the article Bloomberg was $10 million Mystery Benefactor 4/7/2002 6:39 PM Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who plans to cut city aid to museums, theaters and other cultural institutions, quietly dipped into his personal fortune and donated $10 million to help them out just before he took office. The billionaire media executive donated the money to the Carnegie Corp. in December, a source with knowledge of the contribution told The Associated Press on Friday. The story was first reported by the New York Post. Read the article Massachusetts GOP Endorses Romney 4/7/2002 6:35 PM The state's Republican Party endorsed Mitt Romney's bid for governor Saturday but rejected the Salt Lake City Olympic chief's choice for lieutenant governor. Romney, the son of a former Michigan governor, pledged to apply the same efficiency and managerial common sense to running state government that he used to oversee the Winter Olympics. "With a message of change and reform and the resolve I know is necessary to lead this state to its fullest potential, I proudly accept your nomination for governor," he said. Read the article Island Gift Makes Good Politics 4/1/2002 5:53 PM President Bush delivered a gift from Washington to New York in the form of Governor's Island, a former military base that will be sold to the state for a nominal fee. "I looked at the law, looked at the circumstances, and decided this morning this is the right thing for the U.S. government and it's the right thing for the people of New York," Bush said in an Oval Office announcement, with New York Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg at his side. "I think it's going to make the life of the city that has been tragically affected by killers and murderers better. And I think it will enhance the quality of education," Bush added. "You could not make a bigger impact on America going forward than by this gesture," Bloomberg said during the announcement. Read the article Ehrlich, Foes Compete to Shape Candidate's Image 4/1/2002 4:12 PM The blank slate that is Republican Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is slowly beginning to be colored in as he introduces himself to Maryland voters one week into his candidacy for governor. But two contrasting images are forming of the four-term congressman, who many in the GOP believe is their best chance at winning the governorship in more than 35 years. One image is Ehrlich's, as he tries to sketch himself as a moderate who favors abortion rights and can win over conservative Democrats in tune with his message of fiscal leadership. Read the article Former Arkansas Congressman Plans Comeback 4/1/2002 4:06 PM Former Congressman Tommy Robinson will challenge Democratic Rep. Marion Berry for his seat, a Robinson aide said Monday. Robinson, a Democrat-turned-Republican who dropped out of politics after a bitter loss in the 1990 GOP gubernatorial primary, plans to file for office Tuesday, the last day of the two-week filing period, political consultant Bill Vickery said. Berry, who filed Monday to run for a fourth term, said he hadn't given much thought to a challenge from the tough-talking former sheriff who said in 2000 that he would run, only to pull out of the race two weeks later. Read the article Ex-Ambassador Runs for Congress 4/1/2002 4:05 PM A former U.S. ambassador to Bahrain announced his candidacy for a new congressional district Monday, saying he could help solve the crisis in the Middle East. Republican Sam Zakhem said his Lebanese heritage also would be an asset at a time when the United States is at war with Afghanistan. Born in Lebanon to a well-to-do family, Zakhem was U.S. ambassador to Bahrain during the Reagan and first Bush administrations. Over the past 30 years, the flamboyant Zakhem has been in and out of Colorado politics. He was elected to the state House in 1974 and in 1978 he was elected to the state Senate, where he served one term. Read the article