Washington Wrap
WASHINGTON, August 27, 2003
Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Steve Chaggaris and Clothilde Ewing of The CBS News Political Unit have the latest from the nation's capital.
Won?t You Be My Neighbor?: The battle for New Hampshire Democrats took a major turn today as one neighboring former governor took a wide lead over another neighboring senator in a new Zogby poll.
The poll shows former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean with 38 percent over Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. ? way, way behind at 17 percent. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Ct., and Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., are next with 6 percent each, followed by Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., at 4 percent and unannounced candidate retired Gen. Wesley Clark with 2 percent.
Just 10 weeks ago, in the last Zogby poll there, Kerry led Dean 25 percent to 22 percent.
?This is stunning,? said pollster John Zogby. ?(Dean?s) the candidate to watch at the top of the scale.?
One factor to take into consideration is that Dean had launched a TV ad buy in New Hampshire just two days before the poll was taken (Aug. 23-26) and that Kerry hasn?t started running ads there yet. In addition, Kerry?s folks have to be banking on a bit of a boost from his ?official? campaign announcement events in South Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire and Massachusetts next week.
Meantime, even though Edwards is mired in low single digits in New Hampshire and isn?t polling much better anywhere else, he?s vowing to stay in the race. In fact, former Gov. Jim Hunt, D-N.C., is convinced that Edwards will eventually abandon his Senate race to concentrate on his White House run, reports the Charlotte News Observer.
?It?s clear every day you can?t run for both,? Hunt told the newspaper. ?And I would imagine that when he announces (for president) on the 16th of September ? he?ll make it very clear on that day that he?s in the race to win ? And the way will be cleared for our Senate candidates to get going.?
Also, former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, D-Ill., who didn?t even register on the Zogby poll, said Tuesday she?ll officially announce her candidacy on Sept. 22.
Clark Continues His Dance: Retired Gen. Wesley Clark continues to keep the political world waiting for his decision on whether he?ll run for president. He told the Des Moines Register that he?s ?going to have something to say soon,? and that he?s slated to make a speech, conveniently, at the University of Iowa on Sept. 19.
?I expect to have my decision made by Sept. 19,? Clark told the Register.
Clark has been coy about his intentions for the last year. So coy, in fact, that he has not yet even said whether he?s a Democrat or a Republican. The conventional wisdom is that he?ll run as a Democrat, although some more conspiratorially-minded political observers have speculated that he might be a Republican. Since he dances around the issue every time he?s asked about, no one really knows.
Clark said he?s hopeful a late entry would not preclude a win in the Jan. 19 Iowa caucuses, the first voting of the 2004 presidential race.
?If I were to make the decision and go ahead, then they have to make their decisions and I hope the people in Iowa would consider what I have to say,? Clark said.
Asked about a Clark candidacy while campaigning in Des Moines, Sen. John Kerry, who has increasingly tried to focus attention on his status as a decorated Vietnam vet, said the former Rhodes Scholar would not affect just his campaign.
?I think he takes away from lots of different people and different things to whatever degree he earns votes,? Kerry said. ?His positions are similar to some other people in the field, too, on certain different things, and he?ll undoubtedly have an impact.?
Polk County Democratic Party Chairman tells the Register that Clark better fish or cut bait soon. ?If he doesn?t have grass roots on the ground after Labor Day, it will be hard for him to play catch-up.?
Quote of the Day: ?We have momentum. ... Keeping it is going to be a struggle.? -Howard Dean (New York Times) |
