March 8, 1999
Web posted at: 4:42 p.m. EST (2142 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, March 8) -- Multimillionaire publisher Steve Forbes will announce next week that he plans to launch a full-fledged bid for the Republican presidential nomination, a campaign aide told CNN Monday.

"Forbes is not going to mess around," the adviser said. The announcement will likely come March 16 or 17.

According to the adviser, Forbes will probably skip the interim step of setting up an exploratory committee that other candidates, including Texas Gov. George W. Bush and former Red Cross President Elizabeth Dole, are taking.

Despite his personal fortune, Forbes was a virtual unknown in 1996 when he ran an aggressive bid for the GOP presidential nomination. His campaign was marked by a series of television ads, financed with his own money that promoted a flat tax and harshly criticized the GOP front-runner, Bob Dole, for being too soft on taxes.

Forbes dropped out of the race relatively early but managed to inflict considerable damage on Dole by forcing him to spend millions of dollars of his campaign budget to deflect Forbes' televised attacks.

This time, Forbes has built a strong grass roots organization and is actively courting religious conservatives, some of whom view front-runners Bush and Dole as possibly being too moderate.

Other Republicans in the field include Arizona Sen. John McCain, New Hampshire Sen. Bob Smith, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, activist Gary Bauer, former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich and former vice president Dan Quayle.

Monday, March 8, 1999

• Senate panel will examine Chinese spying allegations
• Lamar Alexander to launch 2000 White House bid Tuesday
• 'All Too Human' chronicles presidential betrayal
• Forbes set to announce presidential intentions
• Tripp criticizes 'Monica's Story'
• McDougal says trial is 'personal vendetta' by Starr
• Monday's Supreme Court rulings
• Supreme Court honors late Justice Blackmun
• Gore announces traffic congestion strategy
• New Congress members learn to cope
• Bush says campaign is his, not dad's
• Questions and answers on GOP budget plan
• McDougal on trial for not answering Starr

ARCHIVES