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Bush ahead in US pre-election surveys |
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November 7, 2000
WASHINGTON (UNB/AP) - In the final dramatic days of a marathon campaign, Al Gore cast his duel with George W. Bush as a choice between "two very different pathways," with the Supreme Court and economic progress in the balance. Bidding to regain the White House for the Republicans, Bush brandished tax cuts and Social Security reform while accusing Gore of practicing the "politics of scaring people." The presidential candidates rallied across a handful of battleground states Sunday and intensified their appeals to core supporters and undecided voters. Florida and the Midwest were in the political epicenter. Pre-election surveys suggested the battle could be the closest in generations, and indeed the Senate and the House were up for grabs too, with Republicans seeking to retain control. National polls gave a narrow edge to Bush in the presidential race, but Gore's support in large battleground states made for an unpredictable race to 270 electoral votes and victory. The presidential election is decided by electoral votes, with each state given a certain number of votes based on its population. In most cases, winning in a state's popular vote by even by the smallest of margins entitles a candidate to all of that state's electoral votes. "I'm asking you not only for your vote but for you enthusiasm," Gore said during one of two stops at black churches in Pennsylvania. "I want you to go the extra mile." Bush's exhortations - "The voters are there, let's turn them out!" - took on special significance in Florida, where his brother Jeb runs a state that Bush had expected to put away weeks ago. In a nod to Hispanic voters, Bush sprinkled a Miami speech with Spanish phrases, including one that translated to, "We're going to take Washington D.C.!" Salsa music and a burst of daylight fireworks punctuated Bush's oratory. Bush, celebrating his 23rd wedding anniversary on the campaign trail, said, "We need to get rid of the partisan bickering that has plagued Washington D.C. We need to get rid of the politics of anger and ... we need a fresh start, folks, after a season of cynicism." At the day's second rally, on a football field at Florida International University, Bush accused President Bill Clinton and Gore of being "talkers, not doers" and defended anew his Social Security and Medicare proposals. "We need a president to bring Republicans and Democrats together to make sure the Social Security system works, not only for seniors but for younger workers as well," Bush said. The Bush plan would allow workers to invest some of their Social Security funds in the stock market, seen by Democrats as too risky. Gore started the day in hotly contested Pennsylvania, where he said that a woman's right to abortion was on the line. "The Supreme Court is at stake because the next president, the one you pick Tuesday, will pick a majority on the court that will interpret our Constitution for the next 30 to 40 years," he said, noting that Bush has praised conservative justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia. With 26 states and 225 electoral votes solidly in his column or leaning his way, Florida would put Bush at 250 votes and within reach of victory depending on results from one of the big Midwestern states or a combination of victories in such toss-up states as Arkansas, New Mexico, Iowa, Maine and Oregon. Even Gore's home state of Tennessee was a target for Bush. Gore has 15 states plus the District of Columbia solidly in his column or leaning his way, for 241 electoral votes. However, that includes 62 votes from swing states where Bush has made a big push - Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It was possible Bush might win the nationwide popular vote and Gore to prevail in the electoral college. That kind of split has happened just three times in the nation's history, most recently in 1888. The candidates' travel schedules told the tale. Bush, trying to expand the battlefield, dispatched running mate Dick Cheney to California while the nominee himself plans to close the campaign in Tennessee, Wisconsin, Iowa and Arkansas - all Democratic strongholds during the Clinton-Gore elections. The vice president planned a sleepless sojourn through Iowa, Missouri, Michigan and back again to Florida - 30-straight hours before returning home to Tennessee. Democrats conceded that Bush had more room for error. "Just about everything has to go right for us," said Democratic strategist Dane Strother. One wildcard is Green Party candidate Ralph Nader, who threatens to cut into the Gore vote in such key states as California, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon and Wisconsin. Nader urged supporters in Washington to "vote their conscience," and Gore campaign chairman William Daley said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that Nader "may make the difference in some states." More is at stake Tuesday than the White House. Democrats sought to upset Republican control of the House and Senate, while most of the 11 governor's races on the ballot remained close until the end. Across the country: - Jean Carnahan stepped up the campaign to elect her husband to the Senate despite his October death in a plane crash. The widow was asked to accept a Senate appointment if Gov. Mel Carnahan defeats Republican Sen. John Ashcroft. - House Speaker Dennis Hastert was in Connecticut trying to help fellow Republican Mark Nielsen defeat Rep. James Maloney. Connecticut Republicans also hope to defeat Democrat Sam Gejdenson in their battle to retain the House. "This is an important race and an important election," Hastert said. "We can win this." -Former President George Bush declared himself "a nervous father" in Iowa, but predicted victory for his son. President Clinton campaigned in Arkansas and said of the Gore-Bush race, "It's close." Gore, who has tried to distance himself from the president, made a rare reference to the man Bush calls "The Shadow." "I want to thank you and all of Philadelphia for giving Bill Clinton and me a chance to bring change to the economy of this country," Gore said from the pulpit of a black church in Philadelphia. In Florida, the race is tighter than expected because Gore raised doubts about Bush's plans to privatize portions of Social Security and linked Bush to drug companies in the debate over prescription drug coverage - issues that important to the state's large population of retirees. "Al Gore has been relatively successful early on scaring seniors," said Gov. Jeb Bush who made the rounds of Sunday talk shows. "Scare. Scare. Scare." Like Bush in Florida, Gore was forced Sunday to defend once-friendly turf, appearing in Wisconsin - a state that last backed a Republican presidential candidate in 1984.
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