[CTRL] ELECTNET JOURNAL

[earthman]

-Caveat Lector-   <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">
</A> -Cui Bono?-

>From Tom Fagan

ELECTNET JOURNAL

ISSUE 2

Well, as you can tell from the new title, it finally happened
National Arena and http://www.electnet.org came to an
understanding and I am now the new Editor-in-Chief of the
ElectNet Journal. Issue #1 is still available at the newly
revamped and relaunched website, as well as are a multiplicity
of new and developing features. Best of all: we're looking for
contributing editors. If you would like to post articles and
opinion for your state, just hit your reply button and tell me
why I should send you a password. As long as you understand
hate, obscenity, and amateur propaganda are unwanted, I'll
probably assign you as many states as you want. Of course, you
can always post your opinion at our Vent section. Last note - we'll
soon have our listserve up, so this will be the last batch sending.

-tbf

ALASKA

Lawmakers Consider Ballot-Initiative Restriction (from the Anchorage
News)

 State legislators are trying to stem
 the rising flood of citizen petitions by toughening
 the rules for getting initiatives on the ballot.

 Problem is, the First Amendment is getting in their way.

 Two of Alaska's laws that were part of the increased
 regulation on initiatives were deemed unconstitutional by
 a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, according to the
 state attorney general, and others are ripe for a legal
 challenge, free-speech advocates say.

 While lawmakers today consider a measure to bring state
 law into compliance with the high court's findings,
 they'll also consider adding still new restrictions to
 initiative efforts.

 This has activists from radically different positions
 blending their voices on one point: Don't mess with a
 citizen's ability to participate in the political system.

 Critics of initiatives argue they've become tools of
 special interests, are too easily influenced by money,
 often are poorly written or benefit one narrow philosophy.

 Their use has increased sharply in the 24 states that
 allow them by everyone from large political groups to
 civic-minded individuals.

 In Alaska, the use of initiatives to change or add laws
 has jumped in the past four decades. In the 1960s, only
 seven initiatives were applied for, proposed or added to
 the ballot. In the 1990s, that number jumped to 44.

 In response, legislators enacted laws in recent years
 that target the groups pushing the proposals and tighten
 the requirements for getting the measures on the ballot.

 In Alaska's last legislative session, former state Sen.
 Bert Sharp, R-Fairbanks, successfully sponsored a bill
 that required signature gatherers to reveal, at the
 bottom of each petition page, whether they were being
 paid and by whom.

 The bill also stripped the extra 30 days that groups were
 granted if they came up short on their efforts.

 The state Senate Judiciary Committee will consider
 a proposed constitutional amendment and accompanying bill
 requiring that more signatures be gathered on petitions
 from a larger number of districts.

 State Rep. Bill Williams, R-Saxman, sponsor of the measures,
 argues that most names  are gathered in large
 cities like Anchorage or Fairbanks, while smaller areas
 are not well represented. So his bill requires petitions
 to have signatures amounting to 4% of votes cast in the
 last general election in each of 30 districts to reach
 the required 10% statewide total.

 Besides further regulating the initiative process, the
 bill must take a step in the other direction, thanks to a
 U.S. Supreme Court ruling last January.

 The ruling in Buckley v. American Constitutional Law
 Foundation found that three provisions in Colorado's law
 regulating voter initiatives were "excessively
 restrictive of political speech."

 The court said states cannot require people who circulate
 petitions to be registered voters or to wear name badges
 that say whether they're being paid. States also can't
 require initiative backers to file monthly reports to the
 state identifying who is gathering signatures and how
 much they're being paid.


ARKANSAS

(A) Publicity Over Remarks Aids Farmers (from the Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette)

Rep. Jay Dickey has been on the defensive ever since he
told 100 members of the state chapter of the Black Farmers and
Agriculturalists Association that it will be hard for him to convince
fellow Republicans to work with him on their behalf in Washington
because the farmers have not supported him politically.

The remarks drew rebukes from Dickey's political opponents and
prompted one lawmaker last week to threaten to file a congressional
ethics complaint against Dickey.

But, while announcing his plans to work on black farmer
issues with Oklahoma Rep. J.C. Watts, Congress' only black Republican,
Dickey said the criticism over his remarks has actually helped the
farmers' cause.

Dickey said in a written statement that he and Watts "are exploring
the possibility" of writing a bill together to help black farmers
receive money they were awarded in a legal settlement against the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. Payment of the $50,000-per-farmer award has
been delayed as a mediator worked to validate and process claims.

Dickey declined to say what the legislation will do, and a spokesman
for Watts said any legislation is likely to be weeks or months away.
Meanwhile, criticism of Dickey's remarks continued to accumulate. John
Boyd, president of the 62,000-member National Black Farmers Association
Inc., said his organization wants ethics charges filed against Dickey.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and a member of Congress' Black Caucus,
last week said that he is considering filing such charges, although
Thompson also said he would defer to the wishes of the Arkansas
congressional delegation.

Thompson, whose district borders Arkansas, was asked to pursue the
charges against Dickey by the Arkansas chapter of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Several congressional aides, both Republicans and Democrats, said they
believe it is unlikely that such an ethics charge would go anywhere.
They said it would be difficult to construe Dickey's comments as a
violation of House ethics.


(B) Buchanan Sweeps Delegates (from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

Pat Buchanan told the Arkansas Reform Party convention  in North
Little Rock that he is the dark-horse candidate who can legitimize a
national third party in the next millennium.

Buchanan is the only high-profile declared Reform Party candidate for
president, although real estate mogul Donald Trump has mused publicly
about running for president under the party's banner.

Buchanan praised anti- World Trade Organization demonstrators
who overran the streets of Seattle a few weeks ago, and called for
an end to trade relations with "communist China.

He denounced American intervention in Kosovo, calling it "Mr. Clinton's
war, an illegal war against a country that did not ever attack
Americans. ... American troops should not be the troops of some
imperial world order."

Instead, he suggested stationing those troops along the United States-
Mexico border. And in agriculture-dependent Arkansas, where poultry,
rice, soybeans and cotton are still kings, Buchanan drew sustained
applause by lamenting the plight of farmers.

He also took on social issues, pledging if elected that among his first
acts would be to shutter the U.S. Department of Education and the
National Endowment for the Arts and "fumigate the buildings." And as the
nation's new chief law enforcement officer, Buchanan said his first
words
to his predecessor would be: "Mr. Clinton, you have the right to remain
silent."

Responding to questions after his speech, Buchanan assured his audience
that he would appoint only Supreme Court justices with proven
anti-abortion records and put an end to political donations from
corporations and lobbyist groups.

The Reform Party has between 5,000 and 10,000 registered members
in Arkansas, said Steve Bennett of Maumelle, who was elected the
state party's vice president at the convention Saturday. He did not
 think to invite Ventura or Trump to Saturday's gathering, Bennett said,
although little-known presidential hopeful Charles Collins of Forsyth,
Ga., did address the crowd, echoing many of Buchanan's themes.

After Buchanan's departure, conventioneers elected every Reform Party
member his campaign recommended to serve as delegates to the party's
August convention in Long Beach, Calif., or to hold state office. Allan
Kitterman of Springdale was elected chairman of the Arkansas Reform
Party and Bennett was elected vice president. Margaret Buchanan Roberts
of
Oakland will serve as secretary and Peggy Gullick of Maumelle as
treasurer.

Jeff Weeks of Conway, Steve Mattia of Mountainburg and Timothy Miller of
Conway were selected as the state's national committee members.

Miller, Mattia, John Verser of Greers Ferry and Dale Wyatt of Pine Bluff
were elected as district delegates, and Charlene Hardcastle and Billy
Deeter,
both of Little Rock, and Kitterman were chosen as at-large delegates.


  ARIZONA

  Lawsuit Filed to Block Internet Voting   (from [EMAIL PROTECTED])

The Voting Integrity Project ("VIP") and two Arizona
Democratic voters (one African American man and one
Hispanic American woman) filed a voting rights lawsuit
in federal district court in Phoenix challenging the
Arizona Democratic Party's plan to conduct their
presidential primary utilizing remote on-line Internet voting.

According to Deborah M. Phillips, President of VIP, the lawsuit seeks an
injunction to block the use of Internet voting in the primary on the
grounds that it unfairly discriminates against African-American,
Native-American, and Hispanic voters in violation of the federal
Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Under the plan announced by the Arizona Democratic Party, voters with
Internet access will have four full days, twenty-four hours a day,
(March 7, 8, 9, and 10) to vote early in the convenience of their
homes or place of employment.  In contrast, voters without Internet
access will not be permitted to vote until March 11, when such voters
must travel to one of approximately 50 polling places and vote in
person between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  State-wide
elections administered by the State of Arizona, in contrast,
utilize over 2000 community polling places.

According to a recent U.S. Department of Commerce report on the "digital
divide," whites are more likely to have Internet access from home than
most racial and ethnic minorities from any location, including home,
work,
school, or library.  Only 19% of African-Americans and 16% of Hispanics
have Internet access from any location, compared to 38% of whites.
Taken
together, African-American and Hispanic households are only 40% as
likely
as white households to have home Internet access. Native-American
households
are even less likely than African-American and Hispanic households to
have
home Internet access.  VIP's lawsuit alleges that as a consequence of
these
statistics, the Internet voting system planned for the Arizona
Democratic Presidential Primary will have the effect of maximizing
affluent white participation relative to non-whites in the primary in
violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The lawsuit also alleges that the Arizona Democratic Party cannot
administer an Internet voting system until that system has been
pre-cleared by the United States Department of Justice.  Under
the Voting Rights Act, Arizona is one of several states in which
changes in election procedures must be pre-cleared by the Justice
Department before such changes can take effect. Under a 1996 United
States Supreme Court decision, political parties in covered states
are subject to this pre- clearance requirement for any
election system administered by a political party.


  CALIFORNIA

(A)  Justices To Review Open-Primary Law   (from [EMAIL PROTECTED])

 The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether states can let voters
cast their ballots for any candidate in primary elections,
regardless of party affiliation.

The court said it will hear arguments by four California political
parties that the state's voter-approved ``blanket primary'' law
violates their constitutional right of association.

The justices will hear arguments in the case in April. A decision is
expected by July.

Before 1996, California allowed only voters who were members of a
political party to vote in that party's primary to nominate candidates
for the general election.

In March 1996, voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative that
let voters cast their ballots in primary elections for any candidate of
any
party. For example, someone could vote to nominate a Republican
candidate for governor, a Democrat for senator and a Libertarian for
attorney general.

Backers of the open primary said it would encourage the nomination of
more moderate candidates.

Three other states - Alaska, Louisiana and Washington - have similar
primary laws. A number of other states have more limited open-primary
laws, in which voters can request the ballot of any political party in a
primary election.

The state Democratic and Republican parties challenged the California
law along with the state Libertarian Party and the Peace and Freedom
Party.
They argued that letting nonparty members help choose their party's
nominees violated their rights to political association.

A federal judge ruled against them, and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals agreed.

Two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in a Minnesota case that the
state could bar candidates from running in general elections under more
than
one party's banner.

The case acted on today is California Democratic Party vs. Jones,
99-401.


(B)  John Anderson Back After 20 Years   (from the San Francisco
Chronicle)

John Anderson, the independent who earned 6 million votes
in a 1980 run for the presidency, will be on the ballot again in
 California -- this time as a candidate for the Reform
Party presidential nomination in the March 7 primary, the secretary of
state's office confirmed.

``The leadership of the Reform Party contacted our office and asked us
to place John Anderson's name on the ballot,'' Alfie
Charles, spokesman for Secretary of State Bill Jones, said.

Anderson, 77, who garnered 8.6 percent of the state vote when he ran in
1980, was added to the March ballot just before the deadline of Dec. 30,
1999. He now joins New York developer Donald Trump as a Reform Party
candidate on the presidential ballot in California's open primary.

Former Republican commentator Pat Buchanan, who defected to the Reform
Party and also seeks the party's presidential nomination, has
specifically
asked that his name not be included on the ballot.

Anderson, a former Republican congressman from Illinois, is currently
an associate professor of law at Nova Southeastern Law School in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla.


(C)  Issa Narrows Focus  (from Mercury Center)

Congressional hopeful and multimillionaire businessman
Darrell Issa has sold 80 percent of his interest in the car-alarm
company he founded in order to focus his attention on the upcoming
election.

Issa will remain chief executive officer of Directed Electronics Inc. He
declined to disclose the amount of the sale to Miami-based Trivest, a
private equity-investment firm. Directed Electronics had gross sales of
$90 million in 1999, he said.

Issa is running in a crowded field for the 48th Congressional District,
which includes portions of northern San Diego County, southern Orange
County and southwest Riverside County.

He spent $10 million of his own money when he made an unsuccessful bid
for the U.S. Senate in 1998, narrowly losing the primary to state
Treasurer Matt Fong. Fong lost the general election to incumbent
Democrat Barbara Boxer.

There are 11 Republicans, two Democrats and three third-party candidates
vying for a seat being vacated by retiring Republican Ron Packard.

Among the candidates are state Republican Sen. Bill Morrow, an Oceanside
resident who has represented the area in the state Legislature since
1992 as an assemblyman and senator, and Mark Dornan, the youngest son of
former Rep. Bob Dornan.


(D)  Prosecutors Investigating Mayor's Housemates   (from Votenet)

 The district attorney's office is  investigating whether the
 mayor and others at Compton City Hall  violated election
laws by allowing as many as 15 people to use  their home
addresses to register to vote.

 The municipal code says no more than six people not related by
 blood or marriage can live under one roof. It's a felony under
 state law to knowingly register to vote using an address where
 one doesn't live.

 But voter records signed under penalty of perjury show Mayor
 Omar Bradley shares a modest ranch house with 15 people. The
 house is owned by Bradley's sister, school board member Carol
 Bradley Jordan.

 In addition to the mayor, also registered as living there are
 city consultant Melvin Stokes and his wife, Carolyn, and Frank
 Kahlil Wheaton, the spokesman for Bradley and the city of
 Compton. The other three live elsewhere.

 Councilwomen Delores Zurita and Marcine Barnett Shaw each share
 their homes with eight people.

 Activists say the registrations are the latest indication that
 elected officials for years have been trying to sway city
 elections by helping family members, friends and supporters
 gain voter eligibility by offering them an address to list.

 Bradley said that Compton residents have large extended
 families with many of them moving in and out of the same home
 over the years and forgetting to update their voter  registrations.

 ``My explanation for anybody who has a lot of people registered
 at their house ... is that in Compton, it's a tradition.''

 Prosecutors are investigating.

 ``We would want to determine whether there were any violations
 of the election code,'' said Clifford Klein, head prosecutor in
 the Los Angeles County district attorney's office of special
 investigations.


(E)  Clergy Denounce Anti-Homosexual Marriage Initiative   (from Mercury
Center)

Breaking with other religious leaders, a group of Protestant
and Jewish clergy denounced a March state ballot measure to
outlaw recognition of gay marriages.

Proposition 22 ``is not about saving the sacred rite of
marriage, saving the family, or saving traditional values.
Proposition 22 is about fear,'' said the Rev. Mel
White, who is homosexual and a minister with the Metropolitan
Community Churches.

White spoke to about 600 people Sunday at All
Saints Episcopal Church. Bishops from the Episcopal
Diocese of Los Angeles, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America and the United Methodist Church, and rabbis
from several Los Angeles-area temples also condemned the
measure.

The Roman Catholic and Mormon churches and evangelical
Protestant congregations have supported the
Protection of Marriage Act, which would bar California
from recognizing same-sex marriages performed legally in
another state.

So far, no state has legalized such marriages.

Christians from Cornerstone Ministries in Los Angeles
picketed outside the gathering. They carried signs
with Bible verses against homosexuality.


(F)  Campaign for Green Jello   (from Politics1)

Controversial rock star Jello Biafra (Green-CA) may actually be
interested
in seeking the Green Party's Presidential nomination this year.  The
former lead singer of the Dead Kennedy's, Biafra has been an outspoken
liberal and anti-censorship activist for the past decade.  The "Draft
Biafra" boom started at the New York State Green Party convention last
month when delegates voted to place his name on the upcoming primary
ballot.  In an interesting move, Biafra filed no objection and will
allow his name to appear on the ballot.  Some of the "Draft Biafra"
leaders are now touting liberal cause celebre Mumia Abu-Jamal, a
convicted
cop killer, as Biafra's Vice Presidential runningmate.  Others seeking
the
Green's Presidential nomination include consumer activist attorney Ralph
Nader (DC), Marxist college professor Joel Kovel (NY) and aging hippie
Stephen Gaskins (TN).


  COLORADO

  Unknown Presidential Candidate Hopes   (from [EMAIL PROTECTED])

Presidential hopeful Vincent Hamm has never held public
office and has money enough to run in only one state primary.

But in February, the Golden resident will challenge Bill Bradley and
Vice President Al Gore for votes in New Hampshire's Democratic
presidential primary.

This is not the 40-year-old Hamm's first try at winning the White House.
He was on the ballot in 1996 when Bill Clinton won 76,754 votes en route
to becoming president.

Hamm won 72 votes.

``I was very pleased,'' Hamm said. ``My goal when I woke up the morning
after the primary was not to have a zero next to my name. I was just
amazed at the number of votes I received.''

As a boy, Hamm dreamed of becoming president. Now he says he is running
because he can, even though financing a campaign is a problem. ``I have
intentions but no money,'' Hamm said. But Hamm said he has moral support
for his ``Hammpaign'' from his wife, his mother and a brother.

As president, Hamm's top priority would producing a balanced federal
budget. After that, he said, he would decriminalize drugs.

Hamm says he could eventually win: ``If I increase my vote count tenfold
every time I run in a primary, 2008 is my year.''


  FLORIDA

(A)  Gargan Fights for Job   (from <[EMAIL PROTECTED])

Reform Party chairman Jack Gargan vowed to fight efforts to
remove him from party leadership, saying he is ready to
compromise over the location of the party's convention.

The site of the national convention has caused internal warfare in
recent weeks.

``As you know, they want my head on a platter but they're not going to
get it,'' Gargan told about 200 delegates at the Florida party's state
conference.

Former Republican Pat Buchanan continued to campaign for the party's
nomination despite the fray.

He told delegates during a half-hour speech that he would work to
control the United States' borders, end illegal immigration and take
a tough stand against China.

Buchanan said he would invite Chinese officials to the Oval Office and
tell them, ``You've got to stop persecuting Christians, you've got to
stop pointing missiles at our friends, pointing missiles at us or you
all
have sold your last pair of chopsticks at any mall in the United
States.''

New York developer Donald Trump, who is considering a run for the White
House, was invited to speak to the Florida delegates but declined.

Earlier this month, Gargan ruled that the August convention would be
held in St. Paul, Minn., despite plans by the previous chairman to
hold it in Long Beach, Calif.

Gargan is a supporter of Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, while his
predecessor, Russell Verney, is a top aide to party founder Ross Perot.
The Perot faction tends to support Buchanan for president, while the
Ventura faction prefers Trump.

The issue could be settled next month at a Feb. 12 meeting in Nashville
of the 150-member national committee. Michael Farris, chairman of the
party's Presidential Nomination committee, plans to call for Gargan's
removal at that meeting and has said he will resign if the motions
fails.

Gargan said the meeting was improperly called and would not be valid. He
said he may call a competing meeting to reinforce his position.


(B)   A Name You Know   (from Politics1)

He's never held political office and has no long-term ties to his local
community ... but he's already the frontrunner for an open Florida State
House seat and has high name recognition.  Thirty-one year old
restaurant manager Connie Mack -- who coincidentally is the son of
retiring US Senator Connie Mack (R-FL) -- announced his candidacy for
the safe GOP seat.  Although his father is from Florida's Gulf Coast
and the son's district is located entirely across the state in Fort
Lauderdale, the name similarity should instantly propel the younger
Mack to the head of the crowded GOP field.  Of course, Senator Mack
said he also plans to help his son raise a lot of money for the
campaign.

(C)  Logan's Run   (from the Miami Herald)

When state Rep. Willie Logan faced voters for re-election a year ago,
he was in much the same position as that proverbial fellow who gets all
dressed up but has no place to go.

He coasted back into office in his Opalocka district. But that road
runs to a dead end next year as Mr. Logan hits Florida's eight-year
limit on holding office. Also, he was anything but beloved in his
Democratic Party, having endorsed Republican Jeb Bush for governor and
then lined up with the House's GOP leadership. That's not the kind of
thing that assures you of a bright future in Democratic politics.

But, if you're a person of faith--as Rep. Logan is--you believe that
for every door that closes another opens.

Rep. Logan announced that he would seek the U.S. Senate
seat being vacated by Republican Connie Mack, who is retiring after 12
years. More to the point, he said he will do it as an independent
candidate. No doubt he remains the longest of long shots facing veteran
Democrat Bill Nelson and the winner of the GOP primary between U.S.
Rep. Bill McCollum of Orlando and state Education Commissioner Tom
Gallagher. Where each of the major parties stands ready to spend
upwards of $10 million, Mr. Logan will count himself lucky to raise $2
million.

Now along comes Mr. Logan to say that we should stop putting drug
users in jail; we should ban most assault rifles and license (after
testing) all gun owners; we should subsidize first-time home buyers,
and make kindergarten available for three-year-olds.

Take note, too, that Mr. Logan's media advisor is Bill Hillman,
whose most recent client was Jesse Ventura.


  ILLINOIS

 (A)  Primaries, Candidates, and Meetings  The Demo Memo

Presidential Candidates & Delegates on the Illinois Ballot

Five Republican candidates and three Democrats will appear on Illinois
primary ballots in the race for president.

On the GOP side, Alan Keyes of Maryland, Steve Forbes of New Jersey,
U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, Texas Gov. George W. Bush
and Gary Bauer of Virginia will appear on the ballot.

On the Democratic side, Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee and former
U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley of New Jersey will appear on the ballot.

And the third Democratic candidate?  None other than Lyndon LaRouche
of Virginia.

The Illinois primary is March 21.

If any candidates from the Reform Party or new parties file for
president in Illinois, it will be June 19-26.


News from Around the State

10th Congressional District

Democrat Kevin Q. Harvey was eliminated from the race
by the Illinois State Board of Elections, leaving State Rep.
Lauren Beth Gash as the sole Democrat running for the
10th seat.

A review of Harvey's petitions disqualified 295 of the 838 signatures
he collected, leaving him 62 short of the 605 needed to challenge
Gash.


GOP candidate Thomas D. Eilers withdrew voluntarily from the
primary contest.

Also, the election board unanimously ruled Shawn Margaret Donnelley's
middle name will appear on the Republican primary ballot.  Use of her
middle name was challenged by a fellow GOP candidate as her middle
name did not appear on her nominating papers.

The other GOP candidates include Northbrook Mayor
Mark Damisch; former state lawmaker
Thomas Fredric Lachner of Lake Bluff; businessmen
John Cox of Glenview and Terry Gladman of Glencoe;
abstinence educator Scott Phelps of Mt. Prospect;
retired financial consultant John Guy of Deerfield; and
professional wrestler Jon Stewart, also of Deerfield.

John D. Onorato of Mundelein plans to run as a Reform Party candidate
in the November general election.  Under state election law, Onorato
will need 8.844 signatures to get on the ballot and will need to collect
them between March 28 and June 26.


Events

January 28, 2000

Champaign County Democratic Social Hour

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
 at home of Catherine Barbercheck
 1508 W. Park St. Champaign
Call Carole at 344-7967 to help with food


January 29, 2000

Retiring GOP  U.S. Rep. John Porter (R-Ill.) will hold the first
of his 2000 series of community forums Jan. 29 in Arlington Heights.

The forum will run from 10 a.m. to noon in Olive School, 303 E.
Olive St., Arlington Heights.

For more information, call 847-940-0202.

February, 2000

Illinois College Democrats will have a lobby day in February.

The ICD lobby day in Springfield will focus on Student Financial
Aid, and higher education funding.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact me by e-mail,
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

Willis Reynolds
Vice President of Legislative Affairs
Illinois College Democrats

February 9, 2000

Milton Democrats to Hear Program on Gore

Kitty Kurth, President of Kurth-Lampe Public Relations
and Political Consulting, will be the featured speaker at the
next meeting of the Milton Township (DuPage County) Democrats.

The meeting will begin at 7:30 pm. and will be held at the
Arrowhead Golf Club,  26 W 151 W. Butterfield
Road in Wheaton.

Kurth, a Democratic activist and supporter of Vice President Al Gore,
will speak to the group on "Gore and More."  Kurth has done
advance work for Gore in the U.S. and abroad since 1993.
In addition to speaking about the Vice President's campaign,
Kurth will offer helpful advice to activists on "How to Elect
Democrats in DuPage County."

For more information about the MTDO, call (630) 220-2196,
e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit their web
page at: http://www.webcom.com/lakedems/milton.html.

To learn more about Kurth Lampe Public
Relations, visit their web site at www.mcs.net/~klpr/.

February 15, 2000

Regular monthly meeting of  the Democratic Party
of Evanston's board of directors,  7:30 p.m. at
DPOE headquarters, 826 Custer.


(B)  Hagelin to Speak   (from NLP News Flashes)

Dr. John Hagelin, presidential candidate for the Natural Law
Party and the Reform Party,  will be speaking at:


BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS
   DATE:  Saturday, February 12
   TIME:  2:00 p.m.
   PLACE: Illinois Wesleyan University, Westbrook Auditorium
          Presser Hall, 303 East University Street
   CONTACT: NLP Headquarters (800-332-0000)


  INDIANA

Carter and Laudig Named DemCon Co-Chairs (from INDEMS-INFO)

Pamela Fanning Carter and Steve Laudig have accepted appointments
to serve as co-chairs for the Indiana Democratic Party's state
convention. Robin Winston, the state party's chairman, announced
the appointments.

        Carter, the vice chair of the state party, was elected state
attorney general in 1992 and served in that office from 1993 to 1997.
Laudig has been chairman of the Marion County Democratic Party since
1997. Marion County is the host county for the convention.

        The convention will be conducted on June 11 at the Indiana
Convention Center in Indianapolis. The main business of the convention
is to nominate Democratic candidates for the statewide offices of
attorney general and superintendent of public instruction.


(B)  Fish Kill Gets Political   (from Votenet)

 Riverfront residents knew something was  wrong when carp
began leaping 7 feet out of the water and  thrashing about on
shore. Before long, dead carp and minnows
 were piling up on the banks.

 Hundreds of thousands of fish - more than 85 tons - have
 collected along a 50-mile stretch of the White River since the
 water was poisoned five weeks ago by what investigators suspect
 was an industrial polishing agent used at an auto parts plant.

 While the full effects won't be known for months, federal
 prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation,
 environmentalists are condemning the state's response as too
 slow, and opponents of Democratic Gov. Frank O'Bannon are using
 it to try to undermine his re-election bid.

 Catfish, bass, sunfish and other game species all died between
 Anderson and Indianapolis along the White River, which supplies
 60 percent of the drinking water to 800,000 people in and
 around Indianapolis.

 The state Department of Envirommental Management said the
 contamination never posed a threat to people.

 And environmentalists have held news conferences in front of
 piles of dead fish, complaining that the state responded too
 slowly and failed to keep the public informed.

 The state said it acted on the information it had at the time.
 But Environmental Management Commissioner Lori Kaplan conceded
 the state should have acted sooner.

 In an election year, the controversy is also surfacing in
 Indiana's governor's race. The Republicans are accusing
 O'Bannon's administration of bungling the state's response to
 the fish kill.

 In his 1996 campaign, O'Bannon used TV commercials to attack
 his GOP opponent, former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith,
 over a sewage release in the city that killed 500,000 fish in
 the White River.

 This time around, John Price, an Indianapolis lawyer seeking
 the GOP nomination for governor, stood by dead fish on the
 riverbank and filmed his own commercial, saying he wants to
 protect Indiana's rivers. He has also said he would have
 handled the fish kill better than O'Bannon.

 O'Bannon accused the GOP of playing politics. During his State
 of the State address last week, he proposed doubling the fines
 for criminal environmental violations.


(C)  Yet Another Unusual Presidential Hopeful   (from Politics1)

David Birchler (R-IN) captured a whopping 18 votes as a write-in
candidate for President in 1996.  He's back making a second run
this year -- and he's not afraid to write about an "assassination
attempt" against him and the subsequent "cover-up."  Who is involved
in this dastardly attempt? He explains that it was possibly either
an unnamed law firm or a person he once sued for stealing one of
 his many cats.  Birchler further claims that the state police
refused to investigate the matter and appear to be participating
in a cover-up.  You can read all of Birchler's convoluted
assassination ramblings at http://www.dhbirchler.com/GOLD/ipd_sp.html --
or visit his main Presidential campaign site at
http://www.dhbirchler.com/


  IOWA

  Hagelin Wins Reform Straw   (from NLP News Flashes)

In the Reform Party Iowa/Minnesota straw poll, John Hagelin
finished first today in a surprise upset, ahead of party
favorites Pat Buchanan and Donald Trump.

Hagelin said he would carry the news and momentum of his
surprise Iowa victory--the first official Reform Party
Presidential faceoff--across the country.

Hagelin received 63% of the vote, Bob Bowman 13.2%,
Pat Buchanan 11%, and Donald Trump 0%.

Hagelin, who ran as the Presidential candidate for the
Natural Law Party in 1992 and 1996 and is seeking the
nomination again in 2000, recently announced his intention
to "forge the largest coalition of third parties in U.S.
history--a powerful coalition that can mount a credible
challenge to our two-party duopoly."


  MARYLAND

(A)  Raffle of Gun Leads GOP Official to Quit   (from theBaltimire Sun)

The vice chairwoman of the Carroll County Republican
Central Committee has resigned, noting the party's embattled
decision to raffle a 9 mm handgun as a fund-raiser.

Vice Chairwoman Betty L. Smith has delivered her resignation
to W. David Blair, committee chairman.

 "This is all over the gun raffle issue," said Smith, who has served
on the committee for nearly  four years. "I cannot live with that
decision. I am resigning on moral principles. As a mother of five,
I cannot tell my children that I have had a part in raffling a gun."

The raffle has come under fire from state Republican leaders,
including Ellen R. Sauerbrey,  former delegate and two-time
candidate for governor.

The committee, which coordinates fund-raising activities and
voter registration, turned to the  raffle of a Beretta 9 mm handgun
when other events failed to make money. Last fall, a bull roast lost
$300 and left the party with no money for a direct-mail campaign.
Smith, who opposed the idea from its inception, said the decision
puts her "miles apart philosophically, socially and politically" from
the committee.

Del. Carmen Amedori, a Westminster Republican, said
she has received calls from across the nation,
praising the party "for standing up on the Second
Amendment," which guarantees the right to bear
arms. She advised prospective applicants to be
mindful of the party's stance.

 "You take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the
United States," she said. "If you can't uphold the
Constitution, do not apply.""

Response to the raffle has been overwhelming,
organizers say. The committee had planned to print
500 tickets to be sold at $5 apiece, but requested
3,500 more to meet the growing demand for tickets
 from across the country, including several from as
far as California.

 The raffle has caught the attention of Republican
Party leaders in Kentucky and Missouri interested
in holding gun raffles.

The raffle will be held Feb. 26 at Wilhelm Ltd.
Caterers in Westminster. John Lott, a University of
Chicago law professor and author of "More Guns Less
Crime," has volunteered to draw the winning ticket,
said Amedori. The raffle winner, who will have the
option of a gun or $500, would be subjected to a
criminal background check.


(B)  U.S. Senate Candidate Protests Visit
of Chinese Spy-Master   (from Timmerman for U.S. Senate)

U.S. Senate candidate Kenneth R. Timmerman called for an
 immediate investigation of Chinese spy-master General Xiong
Guangkai when he arrives in Washington tomorrow, and has
vowed to put the sell-off of U.S. military technology to China by
Bill Clinton and Al Gore at the center of his U.S. Senate campaign.

Timmerman joins New Hampshire Republican Senator Bob Smith in calling
General Xiong to account for the role of Chinese military intelligence
in breaking campaign finance laws during 1996 presidential campaign.

"General Xiong, who is Communist China's chief spymaster, played a key
role in the murder of pro-democracy students in Tienanmen Square in 1989
and orchestrated illegal donations to the Clinton-Gore re-election
campaign in 1996," Timmerman said. "In 1996, he threatened a nuclear
attack against the continental United States if we aided Taiwan to
resist Communist Chinese intimidation."

General Xiong is coming to Washington as part of a joint initiative to
resume high-level U.S.-Chinese military ties.

As an investigative reporter for the American Spectator and Reader's
Digest, Timmerman has been instrumental in exposing the sell-off of U.S.
military technology to Communist China, and the PRC's infiltration of
the U.S. capital markets. "This is the real scandal of the Clinton-Gore
administration. I believe the people of Maryland are outraged, and want
serious leaders in Washington who are capable of restoring our nation's
security," Timmerman said.


  MICHIGAN

   Michigan Republican Assembly Endorses Buchanan   (from [EMAIL PROTECTED])

    The Michigan Republican Assembly, a chartered unit of the National
Federation of Republican Assemblies, endorsed Patrick J. Buchanan for
President during the group's general membership meeting.

    To receive the group's endorsement, a candidate is required to
receive at least 2/3 of support from the MRA's voting members. Buchanan
received 84% of the vote, with the balance going to Steve Forbes.

    Violet Vestevich, of Bloomfield Hills, a past Vice-President of the
National Federation of Republican Assemblies delivered the endorsing
speech for Buchanan and Philip Settles, of Kalamazoo, a current Vice-
President of the NFRA gave the endorsing speech for Forbes.

    The MRA was formed in 1997 to support conservative issues and
candidates. The group is affiliated with the National Federation of
Republican Assemblies. The NFRA has grown from 2 states in 1996 to
40 states in 1999.


  MINNESOTA

(A)   Upcoming CDM Events   (from College Democrats of Minnesota)

February 5, 2000, 11:00AM (Saturday): DFL State Central Committee
Meeting, St. Louis Park High School Cafeteria, St.Louis Park

February 17, 2000 (Thursday): College Democrats of Minnesota Spring
  Fundraiser, Kelly Inn, St. Paul

February 18, 2000 (Friday): College Democrats of Minnesota Lobby Day &
Press Conference, State Capitol, St. Paul

 February 18, 2000 (Friday): College Democrats of Minnesota Board of
Directors   Meeting

 March 11, 2000 (Saturday): Precinct Caucuses

April 15, 2000 (Saturday): College Democrats of Minnesota State
Convention, Twin Cities

 April 15, 2000 (Saturday): Humphrey Day Dinner, Twin Cities

(B)   Forbes Wins Minnesota Conservative Straw Poll   (from
PrimaryDiner)

Steve Forbes has won a straw poll conducted by a group of Minnesota
activists, the Twin Cities Republican Association. The conservative
publisher's campaign said that Forbes received 58 per cent of the
vote, twice the support recorded by George W. Bush and Gary Bauer,
who each had 13 per cent.

Forbes described the association as having about 200 grassroots
activists as its members.

Said Forbes: "I am grateful for my win in the Twin Cities Republican
straw poll. It is clearly further proof that my message is resonating
and conservatives are uniting behind my candidacy in Minnesota, Iowa
and nationally. Bold, honest, substantive, principled leadership is
what the American people want and that's what my message
of a 'New Birth of Freedom' is all about."


  MISSOURI

(A)  Court Upholds Limits on Contributions   (from [EMAIL PROTECTED])

The Supreme Court reaffirmed states' sweeping power to deter
corruption by imposing limits on campaign contributions to political
 candidates. The decision removed any doubts over the continued
legitimacy of the $1,000 cap on contributions to federal candidates.

The justices, by a 6-3 vote, said Missouri did not violate free-speech
rights when it capped individual contributions at $1,075 for state
races.

A federal appeals court had struck down Missouri's limits, but today's
decision reversed that ruling.

The nation's highest court had not ruled on contribution limits since
1976, when in a landmark decision called Buckley vs. Valeo it said
free-speech rights trump any attempt to limit an individual candidate's
spending.

''We hold Buckley to be authority for comparable state regulations,
which need not be pegged to Buckley's dollars,'' Justice David H. Souter
said.

Left unaffected by today's decision is currently unregulated ''soft
money'' - contributions made to groups that spend money without any ties
to
specific candidates.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Missouri's limits must
fall because inflation had eroded their fairness and because state
officials
had not proved that larger donations would corrupt elections.

The appeals court had been told that $1,075 in today's dollars amounted
to only $378 in 1976 dollars.

But Souter referred to conflicting views on the effect of large
political contributions and said, ''There is little reason to doubt
that sometimes large contributions will work actual corruption on our
 political system, and no reason to question the existence of a
corresponding suspicion among voters.''

He was joined by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and Justices John
Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G.
Breyer.

Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia
dissented.

(B)  Top Ten reasons to support  George D. Weber for President
Reform Party 2000   (from George D. Weber for President)

10. Active during Civil Rights Era
        .  Missouri State Representative, 1964-1965

9.  Duty, Honor, Country, Semper Fi.
        .  United States Marine Corps, World War II Vet

8.  Not afraid to stand for Underdog
        .  Helped petition support for Perot, 1992

7.  Helped change the face of politics in time for Y2K
        .  Charter Member UWSA &  Delegate of Founding Convention in KC

6.  Over 50 years of service to improve America
        .  Red Cross, VISTA, Farm Bureau, State of MO, & City of Eureka

5.  Sticks to his beliefs and his party
        .  MO State Auditor Reform Party Candidate, 1998

4.  A Missouri farmer who believes "The Buck Stops Here"
        .  Hopes to boost citizen effort and give America back to people

3.  Continues fo push for true democracy
        .  Will use the Internet to keep in touch with the American
people

2.  Didn't create the internet, but has an awesome website
        .  http://www.GeorgeDWeber.com

And the #1 reason you should support George D. Weber is:

1.  Finally!   A politician with no skeletons in the famly closet!
        .  Without having to worry about previous indiscretions, Weber
can concentrate on fulfilling the elusive American dream for all
citizens.


(C)  Lost in Missouri ... or  Mississippi   (from Politics1)

State Representative Todd Akin (R-MO) is a candidate for Congress next
year in Missouri's open District 2 race.  Recently, Akin sadly saw what
happens when an out-of-state-design firm doesn't bother to learn much
about the candidate.  The quote -- attributed to Akin -- posted on the
entry page of Akin's official campaign site read: "I am commited [sic]
to protecting life, defending Americas [sic] founding principles and
taking MISSISSIPPI common sense to Washington."  That probably won't
mean a whole lot to the District 2 voters in Missouri.  A corrected
version of the quote has since been posted on Akin's site.


  MONTANA

  Senator Asks TV to Stop Airing Ads   (from Deseret News)

U.S. Sen.Conrad Burns, R-Mont., asked  Montana TV stations to
stop running commercials attacking him for supporting a bill
changing the way legal claims for asbestos-related health
problems are handled.

In a letters sent to the station managers, Burns
spokesman Matt Raymond said the ads should be taken off
the air because they lie about the legislation.

All of the TV station managers contacted by the
Associated Press said they would not pull the ads,
although some said they had requested more information
about the asbestos bill from the group paying for the
commercials.

William Rossbach, a Missoula attorney for Montanans for
Common-Sense Mining Laws, sent letters to the TV stations
warning them that removing the ads would violate the
group's free- speech rights and bring legal action.

Critics of the asbestos compensation act, of which Burns
is a co-sponsor, contend the measure will limit corporate
liability when people sue over health problems caused by
exposure to asbestos.

Supporters of the bill claim it will result in faster
payment of claims and eliminate frivolous ones, without
restricting people's ability to sue.

The bill has become a major political issue because Burns
is supporting it while running for re-election and
because of recent reports tying scores of deaths and
hundreds of cases of illness among Libby residents to
asbestos exposure.

The $75,000 ad campaign, which started Jan. 18,
criticizes Burns for supporting the asbestos bill .

Raymond, who wrote on the letter on behalf of Burns, said
 the ads wrongly state that the legislation would let the
company off the hook. The bill would make such companies
more accountable by extending time limits for asbestos
suits and penalizing companies for failing to make
legitimate settlement offers, he said.

The bill also would speed the processing of claims and
avoid delays of up to 50 months in some cases, Raymond
said.

 But Rossbach told the station managers it is Burns who is
 distorting the facts. He said the bill would create
 barriers to filing suits by setting up rigid medical
criteria that must be met before legal action could be
 taken.

Victims would lose their rights to collect full damages
 and the bill puts no time limit on how long a medical
review of a claimant can take, he added.

 Managers of TV stations in Billings, Butte, Great Falls,
Helena and Missoula said the ads would not be pulled.
Most said they had asked for information to support the
allegations in the commercials.


  NORTH CAROLINA

  Flair Jumps into Governor Contest   (from POLITICS1)

With his glittering robes, feathers and platinum blonde mane of hair,
professional wrestler Ric Flair stands out as one of the WCW superstars.
After 27 years in the wrestling wring, the 51-year-old wrestler and
wealthy businessman said that he would be a candidate for North
Carolina Governor this year.  Flair -- real name Richard Fliehr --
announced his intentions during an appearance of the "Live with
Regis and Kathie Lee" TV show.  "I may have to tone down a few things,
but I think charisma can go a long way," said Flair.  Flair, a 26-year
resident of the state, has been active in GOP politics for several
years. He previously raised money for the campaigns of President Bush,
Bob Dole, Senator Jesse Helms, Congresswoman Sue Myrick and others.
Flair
did not say if he will run under a party banner -- and has until
February 7 to file his candidacy papers if he decides to run as a
Republican.
If he opts to run as an Independent, Flair's completed candidacy
petitions
are due in late June.  If he enters the GOP contest, Flair will have to
 defeat former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot, State Rep. Leo Daughtry,
former State Rep. Chuck Neely and the others in the primary.


  MASSACHUSETTS

  Bush Brings Rangers out of Bush League   (from PrimaryDiner)

Ted Williams, whose last home-plate appearance ended in a home run,
endorsed George W. Bush in New Hampshire. The baseball
image is appropriate because on the same day that The Kid endorsed
the Texas governor, the Center for Public Integrity reported that
Bush had hit a financial home run with his share of the Texas Rangers.

The new ball park for the Texas Rangers was built with more than $200
million in public subsidies. Included was a sales tax increase for the
city of Arlington, where the Rangers' ball park is located. A land deal
that benefited the team owners and, the Center said, "shortchanged local
land owners by several million dollars." Finally, according to the
Center, Bush sold the team to one of his big contributors, for a
substantial profit.

The Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that investigates money in
politics. It found no illegalities in Bush's actions, but the report
raised questions about Bush's record as a tax cutter in Texas and about
government's willingness to assist the profits of a private business.


  NEW JERSEY

  Sabrin Campaigns as Only True Republican   (from the Boston Globe)

Murray Sabrin, who teaches business at Ramapo College, brought
his background in economics and his uncompromising brand
of politics to a receptive audience at the 27th  annual
Conservative Political Action Conference.

For someone who has been many things over the years liberal
Democrat in the 1960s, Republican in the early 1970s, Libertarian
Party candidate for New Jersey governor in 1997, Sabrin seems
quite at home as a candidate for the Republican nomination for
U.S. Senate.

''I've always said that I'm the only bona fide conservative
in the race someone who is pro-life, pro-Second Amendment,
(and favors) deregulation and reducing the size of
government,'' Sabrin said while attending the conservative
gathering. The Second Amendment guarantees the right to bear arms.

Of late, Sabrin has returned to a favorite
theme from 1997 his staunch opposition to the
unpopular enhanced auto emissions tests that
 the state implemented last month.

But there is no shortage of other opinions:

Eliminate the federal departments of housing,
education and commerce. End affirmative
action. Stop sending U.S. soldiers to join
foreign conflicts.

Remove caps on campaign contributions. End
 federal funding of the arts. Offer merit pay
 to good teachers, pink slips to bad ones.

 Declaring his candidacy last August, Sabrin,
 53, said he is ''running for Senate because
 America is being sacrificed on the altar of
  political correctness.''

He has likened U.S. gun control efforts to
 those by Hitler to disarm the German
 population. He blasted a community college's
plan to name a new institute after New Jersey
native Paul Robeson, a black athlete and
entertainer who praised communism and the
Soviet Union.

Sabrin says individual communities
should decide whether activities such as
prostitution are legal or illegal.

''Murray Sabrin, in my estimation, is not a
Republican, he's a libertarian,'' said
Garabed ''Chuck'' Haytaian, the Republican
state chairman.

Sabrin has hosted radio and television shows and
wrote a 1995 book, ''Tax Free 2000: The
Rebirth of American Liberty.'' But he was
largely unknown when he jumped into the 1997
race for governor as the first third-party
candidate in state history to qualify for
matching funds and a spot in televised
debates.

Whitman narrowly beat Democrat Jim McGreevey
 for a second term; Sabrin got 114,000 votes,
 or 5 percent.


  NEW YORK

(A)  Right-to-Lifer May Sideswipe Giuliani   (from Newsday)

Anti-abortion activist Randall Terry, a man with a special knack
for tripping up pro-choice Republicans, is quietly preparing to
jump into the Senate race.

And that could be splendid news for first lady Hillary Clinton,
sweeter-and far longer-lasting-than her relaxed performance last
week on the David Letterman show.

 "I view Giuliani as a far greater threat to the pro-life movement
 than I do Hillary," Terry said . "An enemy outside the camp is far
 less threatening than an enemy inside." No one expects Randall
Terry to win a three-way Senate race, he least of all.

But as the founder of the media-savvy anti-abortion group Operation
Rescue and a familiar face in conservative quarters upstate, the
40-year-old Terry could throw an instant wild card into the race.

With just a few percentage points separating the two front-runners,
a staunch anti-abortion candidate could easily tip the outcome,
taking just enough conservative votes from Republican Giuliani to
send Democrat Clinton over the top.

It wouldn't be the first time.

In 1998, Terry ran for Congress in the district that includes
Binghamton. He raised and spent more than $1 million. He pounded
away at Bud Walker, a moderate Republican, on abortion and other
conservative, hot-button themes.

 Although Terry got only 7 percent on Election Day, his onslaught
left Walker whimpering. Democrat Maurice Hinchey strolled easily to
Washington.

Terry said he has made no final decision about the U.S.
Senate race.

But after mentioning the possible candidacy on Fox News
Channel's "Hannity and Colmes" program, he agreed to detail his
 strategy.

He said he would most likely enter the Republican primary against
Giuliani, "to raise the issue, soften him up and make him bleed."
Then, he would run in the November general election as the
candidate of the New York State Right-to-Life Party.

He has already met with Kenneth Diem, the Right-to-Life chairman,
and with members of the state party's executive committee.

"Either Hillary or Giuliani is unacceptable," Diem said yesterday
from his home in Farmingdale. "It would serve well for Giuliani to
lose. We'll send a message to the Republicans loud and clear: Give
us someone we can support."  "One of the biggest attractions to
Randall is that he will be able to bring more money and recognition
than the other, lesser-known candidates would bring." And no doubt,
he could get under the mayor's skin.

Despite being a Roman Catholic, Giuliani has in general expressed
pro-choice views on abortion, as has Republican governor,
George Pataki. Yet Catholic leaders-Cardinal O'Connor among
others-have given the mayor and the governor pretty much of a pass
on the issue, in contrast to their harsh attacks on pro-choice
Catholic Democrats like Mario Cuomo and Geraldine Ferraro.

Mike Long, the state Conservative Party boss, has been grumbling
loudly about Giuliani's lack of fealty to the anti-abortion cause,
noting that the mayor hasn't even come out against the procedure
opponents call "partial-birth" abortion. Long hasn't picked a
candidate in the Senate race.

The same issues are cited over and over again: Immigration. Gay
rights. Gun control. And, always, abortion.

The Republican Party platform includes an explicit pro-life plank.

So where's Rudy? "If the pro-life community loses another major
race," Randall Terry said yesterday, sounding very much like a man
getting ready for the stump, "the time will come where there will
be enough high-profile Republicans who will say, 'Pro-life is a
loser's issue. Let's drop it and move on.' "Let's assume abortion
is really murder, just for the sake of discussion," Terry said from
the car. "If I get behind a man like Giuliani who supports murder,
then I am a hypocrite and a coward. It would be like somebody from
the French Resistance getting behind the Nazis, after all." Said
Terry: "I would feel honored if I would be the cause of Rudy's
defeat."


(B)    Reformers Split Again   (from Independence Party of Staten
Island)

There is a court fight in New York over delegates to the Reform Party
convention.  One delegate from each of the state's 31 Congressional
Districts will be elected on March 7.  One slate of 24 Trump delegates,
sponsored by the current embattled state party chairman, is being
challenged in court by a second slate of 30 "uncommitted" delegates
(many of whom are believed to support Buchanan) sponsored by those
seeking to remove the chairman.  We are not aware of any other
candidates.  If the challengers win, there may not be
any Reform Party primary in New York, or there may possibly be a primary
between two "uncommitted" slates in 24 of the 31 CDs.  If they lose,
there will be a primary between Trump and "uncommitted" in those 24 CDs.


(C)   Bill Aimed at Internet-Voting   (from Newsday)

    As a bill that would allow New Yorkers to cast ballots over the
Internet is prepared for introduction, the nation continues to
debate whether elections using home PC are fair and secure.
    The Electronic Voting Act of 2000, which State Sen. Kemp Hannon
(R-Nassau County), plans to sponsor, would authorize the state to
"provide all public and private entities the option of conducting votes
in many types of elections via the Internet." That bill, which Hannon
said he will introduce, would allow for Internet voting in state,
national and local elections on a legally binding "demonstration" basis
before full-scale implementation, which he predicts wouldn't begin for
"at least a couple of years." Companies that conduct online elections,
such as Votation.com, based in Garden City, would under the Voting
Act be authorized to participate in legally binding local or state
governmental elections only on a pilot basis. The state would then
decide whether to continue or expand voting over the Internet.
    The bill would provide financial incentives to fund companies'
development efforts.


(D)  McCain Petitions Challenged   (from [EMAIL PROTECTED])

Sen. John McCain has filed insufficient petitions in more than half of
the state's 31 congressional districts in his attempt to qualify for
the March 7 presidential primary ballot, supporters of Texas Gov. George
W. Bush asserted.

Jeffrey Buley, a lawyer working at the direction of state GOP Chairman
William Powers, said specific challenges would be filed to McCain's
petitions in at least 16 of the state's 31 congressional districts.
Buley said challenges might also be filed in another two districts.

Should the challenges be upheld by the state Board of Elections, and
possibly by the courts, McCain could be without convention delegate
slates in more than half of the state.

There was no immediate comment from the McCain campaign.

In New York, GOP candidates must circulate petitions to qualify separate
convention delegate slates in each of the state's 31 congressional
districts in which they wish to compete. In effect, there are 31
separate
GOP primaries in New York.

Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari, McCain's New York campaign
manager, had previously conceded that McCain petitions would probably
come up short on the required number of signatures in at least five of
the 31 districts, and possibly in a sixth.

Bush and millionaire publisher Steve Forbes have both filed petitions
they claim qualify them for the primary ballot in all 31 congressional
districts. Their petitions have not been challenged. Only McCain,
among the other GOP presidential contenders, also attempted to qualify
for the New York ballot through the petition process.

McCain has also filed a federal lawsuit in an attempt to open up the
ballot in New York.


(E)   Greens to Primary Five   (from Politics1)

New York State Green Party voted at its state convention to
 place five candidates on the March 7 Presidential primary
ballot: Nader, Marxist college professor Joel Kovel, marijuana
legalization advocate Stephen Gaskin, Socialist Party Presidential
nominee David McReynolds and punk rock star Jello Biafra (real name:
Eric
Boucher).  Nader, Kovel and Gaskin are each actively seeking the Green
nomination.  Biafra, former lead singer for the band Dead Kennedys, has
not expressed any interest to date in seeking the Green nomination --
although he once was a candidate for San Francisco Mayor in 1979.  After
Biafra's name was unexpectedly placed in nomination by one of the
delegates, the requisite minimum of 25% of the delegates voted to place
him on the ballot.  McReynolds campaign organizer Shaun Richman told
Politics1 that the Greens "can't place McReynolds' name on the ballot
without his permission, and we won't give it."


  OHIO


(A)  Opponent says DeWine not devoted to anti-abortion cause  (from the
Beacon-Journal)

Sen. Mike DeWine says his anti-abortion credentials
are second to none. Political rival Frank Cremeans says those
credentials are second-rate.

Anti-abortion activists who traveled from Ohio for the annual March for
Life all seemed to side with DeWine.

Cremeans, who served in Congress in 1995-96, contends DeWine sullied his
abortion-fighting record by failing to introduce an anti-abortion
amendment to the Constitution, and by picking the wrong side in
Cremeans' last congressional race.

Along with the rest of Ohio Republicans in power in 1998, DeWine
supported then-Lt. Gov. Nancy Hollister against Cremeans and others in a
GOP primary. He also diverted some of his campaign dollars to the
Hollister effort.

``When he took his campaign money and put $1,000 on Nancy in the
primary, he drew the line between pro-choice and pro-life and these
pro-life people are really upset,'' said Cremeans. ``He's going to have
to answer to the people who contributed to his campaign as
right-to-lifers.''

Lori Viars of Lebanon, Ohio, who works for anti-abortion causes and has
assisted both Cremeans and DeWine in past campaigns, said she has heard
a little bit of that kind of grumbling, ``But not enough to make people
vote against DeWine.''

DeWine, who already has sewn up the endorsement of Ohio Right to Life's
political arm, is the author of a section of federal law requiring
federal employees who want abortions to pay the bill themselves. Known
as the DeWine Amendment, it allows federal employee health plans to
cover abortion only in the cases of rape, incest and threats to the life
of the mother.

DeWine is the sponsor of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which seeks
to establish a new federal crime with additional penalties whenever an
attack on a pregnant woman results in harm to her fetus.

He also was one of the driving forces behind the Partial-Birth Abortion
Ban Act and other anti-abortion bills, said the National Right to Life
Committee's legislative director, Douglas Johnson.


(B)   Visibility Main Concern of Third Party  (from the Columbus
Dispatch)

  The race for John R. Kasich's Congressional seat promises  to be a
dilly.

Nick Hogan, a Gahanna city councilman, said he'll file petitions as a
Libertarian candidate in the 12th District.

Acknowledging that he's the longest of long shots, Hogan hopes to
make an already-interesting race even tighter and put the Libertarians
on the local political radar screen.

The big fish seeking to replace Kasich are endorsed
Republican Pat Tiberi, loose-cannon Republican Eugene
Watts and Democrat Maryellen O'Shaughnessy. O'Shaughnessy
looks to be a strong candidate, especially if Hogan siphons off a
few percentage points from the Republican nominee.

Libertarian James Schrader received 5 percent of the vote
in the 7th District Congressional race in 1998. The
difference between the two major- party candidates in the
12th District this year could easily be less.

"I think I could give the Republicans a little problem
this time around -- not that I want to elect a
Democratic,'' Hogan said.

"Both Democrats and Republicans think they can solve
problems by playing Santa Claus,'' he said.

 "I had been a Republican all my life, but it just finally
 dawned on me that I was also a libertarian all my life,''
 Hogan said. "I truly believe in individual freedom and
 individual responsibility.

 "I actually think we'll see a Republican president and a
Republican Congress in 2000, and yet we'll still see more
taxing, more spending, more government.''

The Libertarians achieved ballot status in Ohio this year
for the first time since 1982 and are planning to run 100
candidates, said Dena Bruedigam, the state party
chairwoman.

The party plans to open a state headquarters and begin
hiring staff in Columbus in February, she said.

Her party's biggest -- and perhaps only -- hope for
victory in the next election lies with Piqua city
Councilman Bob DeBrosse, running in the 43rd Ohio House
District, she said. Term limits have put Rep. Robert
Netzley, R-Laura, out to pasture after 40 years.

Upsetting a few major-party apple carts along the way
helps get attention, DeBrosse said.

Hogan agreed. He said he hopes to run a respectable race
and make some Libertarian waves.


  OREGON

(A)   Pacific Green Party: Convention Agenda 1/29/00   (from PGP
Announce)

The agenda is also on the web: http://www.pacificgreens.org/

Time       min.   Sponsor   Agenda Items
09:00 AM   --   --       Begin registration
10:00 AM   5   Hosts     Opening, Introductions
10:05 AM   5   Kendall   Facilitator's Box
10:10 AM   5   Kendall   Approval of agenda
10:15 AM   5   Fillard   Approval of minutes
10:20 AM   5   Fillard   Call for volunteers for PGP Secretary
position<BR>
10:25 AM   5   Xander    Elections coordinator report
10:30 AM   15  Fillard   PGP public office nominations
10:45 AM   15  --        Break
11:00 AM   20  Mike Leman   Approve platform
11:20 AM   20  Trey/Bill   Bylaw Amendment: Local nonpartisan
endorsements
11:40 AM   20  --        Chapter & committee reports
12:00 PM   60  --        Lunch
01:00 PM   5   Trey      Treasurer's report
01:05 PM   5   Trey      Announce Give Peace a Dance
01:10 PM   20  P Vandevelder   Oregon Declaration of Human Rights
initiative
01:30 PM   20  Ted Blaszek   Oregon Public Accountability Act
initiative
01:50 PM   15  Fillard   Election Demonstration for single-seat
races
02:05 PM   55  Fillard   Speeches/vote - PGP public office
nominations
03:00 PM   35  Fillard   Speeches/discuss/vote - Public office
endorsements
03:35 PM   15  --        Break
03:50 PM   10  Fillard   Nominations for PGP delegates to ASGP
convention
04:00 PM   20  Fillard   Election demonstration for multi-seat races<
04:20 PM   20  Fillard   Speeches/vote - PGP delegates to ASGP
convention<
04:40 PM   5   Lori      Volunteer recognition<
04:45 PM   10  Kendall   Evaluation
04:55 PM   5   Kendall   Closing
05:00 PM   --  -- Adjourn


(B)  The LaRouche-ians are Coming   (from [EMAIL PROTECTED])

Had an unpleasant little episode outside the south Salem Albertson's.
Kid standing there dressed in full "grunge" holding a sign that said
"Oregon Democrats: Petition for another candidate on the
ballot" handwritten in orange market on white posterboard.

So, I asked him if he was affiliated with the local Democratic Party in
any way.  He was evasive.  I asked him what candidate he supported.  He
didn't really wanna way.  But when pressed, he said he was gathering
signatures to put Lyndon LaRouche on the Oregon primary ballot.

If anyone from DPO is listening in here, or if someone wants to send
this on to other D listservers in OR, just do whatever needs to be done.

Several folks in Albertson's complained, and when I left the store
manager was trying to get him to leave.

But whatever else happens, tell folks not to sign that petition!

   ([EMAIL PROTECTED])

Oregon's Polk County Democrats
"People practicing democracy"
http://www.sherm.com/polkdems


(C)   Constitutionals Request Prayer   (from
[EMAIL PROTECTED])

Dear Friends,

Would you consider praying for the American Heritage
Party of Oregon this week?  Our state chairman, Bob
Eckstrom, is working hard to get us organized and on
the ballot but there is a lot to do and few to help.  We
need l6,000 signatures and committed people to help
and we have about a quarter of what we need to get
on the ballot by spring.  Would you pray with us that
God would raise up the people and all the signatures
we need?  If you will pray, reply to this message as
an encouragement to us to keep working.

God bless you all.

Your friends in the Constitution Party,

Dean and Mary Riffert<BR>
Oregon


  PENNSYLVANIA

  Santorum Launches Re-election Campaign   (from the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette)

The stirring theme music of "The Natural" sounded in Manchester as a
partisan crowd cheered the virtual and the  real Rick Santorum.

At the official launch of the Republican senator's re-election campaign,
the lights came down in a theater in the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild
and a video appeared, depicting the freshman senator in a kaleidoscope
of settings speaking with children, farmers, businessmen and
lawmakers. Ordinary citizens put Santorum signs in their
windows. One scene showed a giant Santorum logo being
painted on a rustic barn like a latter-day Mail Pouch ad.

A moment later, the crowd got to deliver sustained
applause for the real thing. Santorum, following an
introduction by Allegheny County Executive Jim Roddey,
walked onstage with his wife, Karen, and four of their
five children, the girls in matching plaid skirts and the
boys in blue blazers and khakis.

Six years ago, Santorum began an uphill challenge to Sen.
Harris Wofford with the angry admonition to voters to
"join the fight" against the excesses of government. It
was the same election in which the Republican Party
wrested control of the U.S. House for the first time in
four decades with the ascendance of Newt Gingrich and the
"Contract With America."

No longer the insurgent outsider, the incumbent spoke
yesterday under a stage-wide banner that proclaimed:
"Santorum, Making a Difference for Pennsylvania."

He mentioned the conservative issues that he has long been
identified with, calling, for example, for deeper tax cuts
and a renewed effort to enact a ban on so-called
partial-birth abortions.

But the image he appeared to cultivate yesterday was a
more nurturing, compassionate one than the strident
persona Santorum carried to the Senate after his years as
a member of the "Gang of Seven," the conservative
back-benchers who continually and successfully challenged
the chamber's establishment.

He boasted that he had written the welfare reform section
in the House GOP's 1994 "Contract With America," but he
cast the issue not as a means to crack down on wasteful
spending but as a tool to help needy families lead better
lives.

Santorum said his personal experiences with the health
care system had made him more sensitive to health care
issues in general, and particularly to the need for
increased health research.

For all of the mainstream notes sounded in his speech
yesterday, many Democrats contend that the incumbent is
acutely vulnerable. They argue that his conservative image
is out of touch with the more centrist leanings of the
state's electorate. That view accounts in part for the big
field of Democrats vying to take Santorum on in the
general election.

Several of those potential Democratic opponents also are
stepping up their political campaigning this week. State
Sen. Allyson Schwartz, D-Philadelphia, officially
launched her quest for the Democratic nomination in
Philadelphia before traveling to Pittsburgh tomorrow for an
event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown.

Rep. Ron Klink, D-Murrysville, plans to be in Philadelphia
before returning to Pittsburgh  to speak to the United Steelworkers.

Other major Democratic candidates are former state Labor
and Industry Secretary Tom Foley and
former state Sen. Bob Rovner of Philadelphia.


  RHODE ISLAND

  Dems Plot Against Weygand?   (from the Providence Journal-Bulletin)

Rhode Island Democratic Chair William Lynch announced this week that the
party would break with a decades-long tradition and endorse candidates
for the primary three months earlier than usual.  The convention will
now
occur in early April -- rather than the end of June -- even though the
candidate filing period in the state does not close until June 28.  The
move is seen as good news for former Lieutenant Governor Richard
Licht (D), a candidate for US Senator.  Congressman Bob Weygand,
however, has been viewed as the early frontrunner to win the
Democratic nomination in the September primary. Longtime Weygand
foes within the party -- including Congressman Patrick Kennedy and
State House Speaker John Harwood -- praised the move. Harwood,
according the newspaper, "largely controls the endorsement." Licht
praised the move.  Weygand, on the other hand, questioned it as
"very curious."  East Providence City Councilman Roland Grant is also
seeking the Democratic nod for Senator.  Incumbent US Senator Lincoln
Chafee is unopposed for the GOP nomination.  Former Attorney General
Arlene Violet (Independent) -- a former nun turned attorney turned radio
talk show host -- is also in the race.  A poll conducted last fall for
Brown University showed Chafee and Weygand tied at 27% apiece, followed
closely by Violet at 24%.  If Licht is the Democratic nominee, the Brown
poll showed Chafee in front with 32%, followed closely by Violet at 30%
and Licht at 17%.


  TEXAS

(A)  Hispanic Dems Endorse Gore   (from [EMAIL PROTECTED])

 One of Texas' largest Democratic groups has officially endorsed
Vice President Al Gore in his bid to become the nation's next
president.

Members of the 2,500-member Tejano Democrats made their selection
after a two-day meeting during which Gore and his rival, former Sen.
Bill Bradley, spoke to committee members by phone and answered a
series of questions on immigration, the school dropout rate among
Hispanics, health care and education.

``I know how rare it is for this group to endorse in a presidential
campaign, but I would always remember it, I would always be proud of it
and I will work with you to address the agenda that begins with
education,'' Gore said via telephone.

Many in the group said Gore's history of working with Texas Democrats
earned him the endorsement. Gore defeated Bradley by a vote of 1,256 to
341.

The vote mirrored a recent statewide poll conducted by the Houston
Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News showing Gore being favored by 54
percent of the likely Democratic primary voters, compared to 25 percent
for Bradley.


(B)  Simmons for State House   (from SlickPlus)

     Clark Simmons has filed for convention nomination as the
Libertarian Party candidate for District 52 in the 2000 election
for the Texas House of Representatives.

     District 52 is comprised mostly of Williamson County with
small sections of adjacent counties, and is a growing center of
technology.  "I won't overlook the needs of the existing
agricultural and manufacturing interests,"  Mr. Simmons states
emphatically.

     There will be ample opportunities to focus on and address
all the issues.  Among these are taxes, transportation,
education, and all issues that affect the livelihood and well
being of all Texans.

     Mr. Simmons is a native Texan, and has enjoyed a
professional career as a Field Engineer in the electronics
industry.  He is married to the former Lillian Martinez, who was
born in Havana, Cuba.  He has five adult children and one
grandson.


(C)   AFL-CIO Endorses Coggins   (from the Montoya Coggins Campaign)

The Texas AFL-CIO unanimously endorsed Regina Montoya Coggins for
Congress at their state convention in Austin. Montoya Coggins had
previously received the unanimous endorsements of six central labor
 councils in the Fifth District. Montoya Coggins said, "I am
honored that the AFL-CIO believes I am the best candidate to
represent the concerns of working men and women in the Fifth
District. The issues I am campaigning on--preserving Social
Security and Medicare, improving public education,
and helping seniors pay for prescription drugs-are the issues most
important to working Texans, and I am grateful to have this
endorsement," she said.


  UTAH

(A)  She's Baaaack!   (from the The Salt Lake Tribune)

Former Congresswoman Enid Greene (R-UT) looks to be on the verge of
making a political comeback attempt.  Greene -- first elected in 1992
-- did not seek re-election in 1994 when it was revealed her
then-husband Joe Waldholtz illegally financed Greene's 1992
campaign through a series of illegal schemes.  Greene -- in
an effort to discredit and distance herself from her husband
in 1994 -- filed for divorce and publicly denounced him as
a liar, drug addict and bisexual.  Waldholtz eventually
went to federal prison and Greene was personally fined by the FEC for
violating campaign finance laws.  Greene intends to run for a seat this
year on the Salt  Lake County Council.  She confided to friends,
however, that she is still worried about "the [political]
baggage" she is carrying.


(B)   Cook May Run as Write-In If He Loses Renomination   (from
Politics1)

Controversial Congressman Merrill Cook (R-UT) is threatening to seek
re-election next year as a write-in candidate if he fails to win the
official GOP endorsement in the May pre-primary nominating convention.
Under state rules, any candidate who wins over 60% of the vote at the
nominating convention automatically becomes the nominee without facing
any primary opposition.  According to Roll Call, Cook last week accused
State GOP Chair Frank Suitter and former State GOP Executive Director
Spencer Stokes of trying to "rig" to convention to deny him a spot on
the June primary ballot.  He also told the Salt Lake Tribune on Friday
that state GOP leaders were "engaged in bloodletting ... with their
unfair allegations against me and my staff."  Cook said the GOP
leadership is "hell-bent on dumping me."  If they succeeded, he told the
Tribune that he would likely run in the general election against the
GOP nominee as a write-in Republican candidate -- even if that means
splitting the GOP vote.  Cook's volatile temper and embarrassing public
outbursts have made him disliked by GOP officials and a top target of
national Democrats. Before being elected to Congress in 1996 as a
Republican, Cook previously quit the GOP and made unsuccessful
Independent runs for Governor in 1992 and Congress in 1994.
Cook said he would support the GOP nominee if he lost in
the June primary -- but would not do so if he was denied
a spot on the June primary ballot. "I'm not going to sit still
bunch of people manipulate the process," he said.  Stokes is openly
supporting wealthy venture capitalist Jeff Wright (R) in the
race against Cook.  In a related move, Salt Lake County Republican
Chairman John Rosenthal recently named Wright to chair the party's
upcoming fundraising dinner. Cook has also accused neighboring
Congressman Chris Cannon (R) of plotting against him, as Cannon
Chief of Staff Mark Emerson (R) is also running against
Cook.  State Senator Steve Poulton (R) and former White House intern
Morgan Philpot (R) are also challenging Cook for the GOP nomination.
Unlike the disarray on the GOP side, wealthy energy consultant Jim
Matheson -- son of the late Utah Governor Scott Matheson (D) -- is
unopposed for the Democratic nomination.  Congressman Brian Baird
(D-WA), attending a Democratic fundraiser in Utah , told the Tribune
that the DCCC will do everything possible next year to elect Matheson.
District voter registration demographics, however, strongly favor the
Republicans under normal circumstances.


  VIRGINIA

(A)   Goode Seek Re-election as Independent   (from Votenet)

 Two-term Democratic Rep. Virgil Goode announcedthat he
will seek re-election as an  independent, a move that could
complicate his old party's hopes  of retaking control of the House.

 Goode's habit of voting consistently against President Clinton
 and with other House Republicans had already created friction
 with some Democratic leaders in his district, which includes
 Charlottesville and tobacco-growing regions to the south.

 The Republicans hold a 222-212 majority in the House, with only
 one independent, Rep. Bernard Sanders of Vermont.

 Goode, 53, has not said whether he will caucus with the
 Democrats or with the Republicans.

 ``This is just the latest good news in our quest to add to our
 majority in the House,'' said Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia,
 chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee, who
 said Goode is welcome in the GOP caucus. ``Any hope the
 Democrats had of winning back the House just ended.''

 Virginia Democrats tried to put a positive spin on Goode's
 move.

 ``Virgil Goode's statement is a blow to Republicans who were
 confidently predicting that he would be joining the Republican
 Congressional Conference and caucusing with them,'' said
 Kenneth Plum, chairman of the state Democratic party.

 Goode was elected to Congress in 1996 to fill the seat left
 vacant when Democratic Rep. L.F. Payne ran unsuccessfully in
 1997 for lieutenant governor. Before that, he had spent 23
 years in the Virginia Senate.


(B)   Reform Psrty Affiliate Dissolves   (from Committee for Ethics in
Government)

After carrying out her final duties as the State Secretary of the now
disolved Reform Party, Inc. dba/ Virginia Reform Party aka/ Virginia
Independent Party, Jacqueline Campbell, of Virginia Beach said, "I have
followed the dictates and resolutions as adopted by the Directors in
their final meeting Saturday January 15, 2000, as the Board of Directors
for the Virginia Reform Party." At that meeting the Board of the
Virginia affiliate of the Reform Party of the United States of
America voted to dissolve their corporation, thereby leaving the
national party with no recognized affiliate in the state.

Campbell continued, "As the elected Corporate Secretary I have delivered
to the proper state agencies the appropriate filings for the dissolution
of the Corporation known and conducting business as the Reform Party
here
in Virginia. On Wednesday January 18, I delivered the appropriate
documents, and as a result of this action the State Corporation
Commission has effected the closure of the Reform Party, Inc / V.I.P.

The dissolution was effected due to irreconcilable differences,
Irregularities, and apparrent illegalities in the management of the
state party business. This action is viewed by the Board as a positive
step, providing an opportunity to now create an open, inclusive
and democratic organization which will attract members from
every region and sector of the state.

Ms. Campbell stated, "We fully expect Reform activity and participation
to now experience rapid growth as Reform minded voters are given the
opportunity to rise up and unite here in the Commonwealth. We look
particularly to the youth of Virginia to join with us for the cause of
Reform."

Since there is now, in effect, no recognized Reform Party affiliate in
the Commonwealth of Virginia, the state is not represented at the
national party level by National Committee members or delegates,
nor is any Virginia resident eligible to serve as a national
party officer or committee chair.


(C)   Evangelist to Run For Open Congressional Seat   (from Politics1)

Evangelist William Murray (R-VA), the son of prominent atheist leader
Madelyn Murray O'Hair, announced he was forming a committee to
run for the open District 1 House seat being vacated by ailing
Congressman Herb Bateman (R).  A Religious Right activist, Murray
frequently denounces his mother as "an evil person who led many to
Hell." Murray abandoned atheism in favor of evangelical
Christianity 20 years ago. Murray said he supports school prayer
and legislation banning abortion. State Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R)
is already an announced candidate for the seat and State Commerce
Secretary Barry DuVal (R) is also certain to run. While
numerous other Republicans and Democrats are looking at the race, the
district's registration numbers strongly favor the GOP.  Congressman
Owen Pickett (D-VA) and Congresswoman Tillie Fowler (R-FL) also
announced
their retirement decisions last week.  Republicans look poised to
capture
Pickett's open seat and likely maintain control of Fowler's seat.


  WEST VIRGINIA

   Capito Facing Democratic Tradition   (from Roll Call)

  The Republicans may have found a needle in the
  West Virginia political haystack in the form of state
  Del. Shelley Moore Capito. Capito may be the only
  Republican in the state who has a chance of carrying
  a Congressional district this year. And if she does,
  she'll make it that much harder for the Democrats to
  win a majority in November.

 Capito's biggest problem is that Republicans just
  don't win very often in West Virginia.

  If you really want to get a handle on how hard it is
  for a Republican to get elected to Congress from West
  Virginia, consider this: You have to go back to 1990
  to find a GOP House candidate who drew at least 38
  percent of the vote in the general election. (Former
  West Virginia University quarterback Oliver Luck drew
  45 percent against Staggers, while Marianne Brewster,
  aided by a bitter Democratic primary, drew an
  astounding 48 percent against beleaguered Rep. Nick
  Rahall (D).)

   In the state legislature, the Republicans are in sad
    shape. Democrats hold 75 seats in the state House to
    the GOP's 25 seats. In the state Senate, it's even
    worse: 29 Democrats to just five Republicans.

    But while the playing field in the 2nd district isn't
    level for the two parties, it's the most competitive
    district in the state. Bill Clinton ran 3 points below his
    statewide total in the 2nd district in both 1992 and
    1996.

    Even more surprising, the Republican nominee for
    state attorney general in 1996, Charlotte Lane,
    carried the district with more than 53 percent
    (though she lost statewide), and John McCuskey, the
    GOP nominee for the state Supreme Court of Appeals in
    1998, drew 50 percent in the 2nd district.

   Capito, 46, was elected to the legislature from a
    multi-member Charleston district in 1996 and
    re-elected two years later. A personable, articulate
    moderate who isn't likely to have any serious primary
    opposition, she ended last year with more than
    $250,000 in the bank.

    Capito's prospects in the 2nd district are enhanced
     by the race for the Democratic nomination. Four
    Democrats are running, with the early leader being
    West Virginia Secretary of State Ken Hechler, an
    85-year-old bachelor who holds a Ph.D. from Columbia
    and who was White House research director and a
    special assistant to Harry S Truman. The Long
    Island-born Hechler was elected to Congress in 1958
    and re-elected until he ran (unsuccessfully) in the
    Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1976. After a
    couple of failed attempts to return to Congress, he
    was elected secretary of state in 1984.

    Hechler starts off ahead in the Democratic race,
    primarily because of his high name recognition. But
    wealthy trial lawyer Jim Humphreys, who was appointed
     to fill a state Senate vacancy but was defeated in
    1994 in his bid to win a full term, is spending
    heavily to win the nomination (including a flurry of
    very early radio and TV ads), and state Sen. Martha
    Walker, a speech pathologist who was first elected to
     the state House in 1990 and has already been
     recommended by EMILY's List, are trying to overtake
     him. State Del. Mark Hunt is also in the race. Many
     insiders expect to see either Humphreys or Walker
     emerge as the nominee.

     Hechler's age and quirkiness could work against him
     in a general election contest against Capito. And
    Capito's style is far more appealing than Humphreys'.
    Walker, on the other hand, negates some of Capito's
     potential advantages.

     Capito's father, former Gov. Moore, has had his share
     of legal troubles, but he remains an asset for his
     daughter and reportedly is working strongly on her
     behalf.


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