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Potential candidate Hillary Clinton readies New York blitz
July 4, 1999 WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, July 4) -- First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will take a few more steps down the road toward a run for a New York Senate seat this week, with a four-day tour of the state and the expected formation of an exploratory campaign committee.
But in a sign of things to come, the Sunday political talk shows were full of debate about whether Clinton can separate herself politically from her husband, whether she should use government aircraft to campaign -- and whether she can effectively represent a state in which she has never lived. "It's going to be very, very difficult for someone who does not come from (New York)," predicted former Staten Island Republican Rep. Susan Molinari on ABC's "This Week." "It doesn't have to do with living there, growing up there and having people accept you. It has to do with having that gut reaction to protect your state above all else." "When you're talking about Hillary Clinton, it's not as if she's living in a different country," responded former Queens Democratic Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, also on "This Week." "She knows New York state. She has been ... from one end of the state to the other."
Lazio moving toward Senate bidIf Clinton runs, the anticipation has been that the 2000 New York race to replace retiring Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan would be a high-profile, big money showdown between the Democratic first lady and combative Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York City. Polls show them in a virtual dead heat. However, a wrench may be thrown into that scenario. On Sunday, Rep. Rick Lazio of Long Island gave the strongest indication yet that he will challenge Giuliani for the GOP Senate nomination. "I am certainly moving closer to it," Lazio said on NBC's "Meet The Press." "I think we are going to announce some time over that next two months that I will be in this race."
GOP campaign head turns up with carpetbagSunday, on CBS' "Face The Nation," Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who heads the GOP's Senate campaign committee, showed up with a carpetbag of items for Clinton, including a map of New York "to help her find her way around" and a Mets cap. "There's no question that the people of New York have to decide whether or not they think it's appropriate for someone from Arkansas to represent them in the Senate," McConnell said. "And finally, there's the question of all the trips -- about $220,000 owed to the federal government for 11 trips to New York this year." The Secret Service has insisted that the first lady continue to use U.S. Air Force planes in her travel for security reasons. Some White House staffers also have helped Clinton with her Senate plans, but say they have done so on their own time. On Tuesday, Clinton is expected to announce the creation of a Senate campaign exploratory committee to raise money. Her aides have said the committee will reimburse the government for costs related to campaigning.
New York swing begins on Moynihan's farmOn Wednesday, Clinton will begin a four-day trip to upstate New York, beginning at Moynihan's Delaware County farmhouse and ending in the state capital, Albany. Her aides have said that the purpose of the tour is to listen to New Yorkers -- something that struck one leading Republican as disingenuous with more than 200 reporters coming along for the ride. "It's going to be a huge spectacle ... a lot of big hoopla. She's not going to be able to meet people and have an exchange," said former Sen. Alphonse D'Amato on "Fox News Sunday."
First lady's political distance at issueAnother question raised on Sunday's political talk shows was whether the first lady can distance herself from President Bill Clinton when it comes to issues important to New York. Last week, she made waves inside the White House by attending a meeting with New York officials who were upset over an administration proposal that could cut Medicare funds to New York's teaching hospitals. "Even after that ... she did not come out and say she's against this plan and its impact on New York," Molinari complained on "This Week." But Ferraro said the first lady is "going to be able to lobby (President Clinton) in a way that no other person could possibly lobby the president of the United States and make sure that she delivers for the state of New York." Should she win the Senate seat, however, the first lady would take office about the same time that her husband's two-term presidency ends. The president said last week that if his wife runs, he expects her to distance herself from him politically on issues over which they disagree. "That's the way a democracy works," he said. Correspondent Chris Black and The Associated Press contributed to this report, which was written by Richard Shumate. |
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