 |
|
 |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dole disputes rumors of campaign troublesBy Jonathan Karl/CNN
September 21, 1999 NEW MARKET, New Hampshire -- With events like a recent impromptu polka march on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Elizabeth Dole wants to prove the critics wrong. She can be as unscripted and spontaneous as anyone. She dismisses talk that the abrupt departure of her communications director and her press secretary earlier this month is a sign that her campaign is struggling. "George Bush lost his press secretary just a few weeks ago, right?" Dole said. "And Gary Bauer just lost his chairman. These things happen in campaigns."
Dole says it is unreasonable to say her campaign has started off slow. "When you're president of the American Red Cross, you don't do anything political," Dole said. "It's absolutely nonpartisan. So on February 1, I was starting from scratch. And it takes a few months to build an organization. "We're number two" could be an unofficial motto of the Dole campaign at this point. Faced with George W. Bush's formidable lead, Dole wants to emerge from the pre-primary season in second place. As one Dole adviser put it, "If Bush runs a perfect campaign, he wins. If he stumbles, people will turn to Dole." Bush was recently supposed to serve as the grand marshal at a NASCAR race before 100,000 people in New Hampshire. When a scheduling conflict forced Bush to cancel, Dole eagerly took his place. Despite her campaign troubles, in the latest CNN polls, Dole still runs second to Bush among Republican voters nationally and here in New Hampshire. And in a hypothetical two-way race, she still beats Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic presidential front-runner. But she is in a distant second place, trailing Bush by more than 30 points. And there's no indication that Dole will come anywhere near narrowing Bush's fund-raising lead when the third quarter ends this month. One Dole adviser described the fund-raising as slow going in July and August. |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MORE STORIES:Tuesday, September 21, 1999
• Hatch proposes special congressional panel to investigate Justice Department • Bush announces gun crimes initiative in Texas • California voters head to the polls in crowded congressional primary • Senator calls Clinton travel costs 'excessive' • IOC chief urged to testify before Congress • Dole disputes rumors of campaign troubles • Delaware governor to challenge Roth • Swiss banks freeze $16.8M; Accounts held during probe of Russian money-laundering case • Clinton says U.N. must do more to stop atrocities • Both parties out to protect Social Security -- but not just yet • Moynihan to endorse Bradley presidential bid • Clinton denies political consideration in clemency • Bombmaking videotapes to be aired at Puerto Rican clemency hearing • Analysis: Clemency offer a political loser for Clinton • Reagan associates concerned over use of fictional narrator in biography • Conservative groups denounce McCain's campaign finance plan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Windows Media: 
