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New Hampshire Sen. Smith to leave GOP
July 9, 1999 MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (AllPolitics, July 9) -- Sen. Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican with presidential ambitions but little public support in early polls, will leave his party next week and pursue an independent or third-party presidential bid, campaign and Republican sources said Friday. Sources said Smith had talked to a number of friends about the move, which would come as he attempts to gain support for his presidential bid. Polls show Smith's support in the crowded GOP primary in the low single digits; even in his native state of New Hampshire, Smith badly trails Texas Gov. George W. Bush in public opinion polls for the GOP presidential nomination. Republican State Rep. Tom Rice said he got a call from Smith's office telling him that the seenator would make his announcement Tuesday. "But whether he was forming a third party or going with an existing one, I don't know," Rice said. Smith was vacationing Friday and was not taking media calls, said Karen Hickey, his campaign spokeswoman.
"I can't confirm, I can't deny," Hickey said. "He is on vacation with his family this weekend." Smith was planning to leave not because of his campaign, but because of his philosophical objection to the direction of the party's mainstream, the source said. Smith has threatened to leave the Republican Party several times in recent weeks, saying many Republicans have abandoned their conservative base by softening their positions on abortion and gun control. Republican leaders wasted little time Friday in criticizing Smith's expected move. "This is a selfish move and it is doomed to failure. It signals the end of his political career in New Hampshire," state GOP Chairman Steve Duprey said Friday. Republican National Committee Chairman Jim Nicholson was more careful in his choice of words. In a letter to Smith, Nicholson wrote, "I believe this would be a serious mistake for you personally, with only a marginal political impact -- and a counterproductive one at that." In Washington, two of Smith's GOP presidential rivals, Gary Bauer and Rep. John Kasich of Ohio, were quick to react. "It would be a tragedy for the Republican party to start splitting," Bauer said. Kasich said, "He's got strong convictions, maybe he's thinking that is what he's got to do." Rice, the first New Hampshire lawmaker publicly to endorse Smith, said he has not decided whether he will continue to support his presidential campaign. "I'm still very supportive of Bob Smith because he says the things I want to hear," he said. "But I will say I'm disappointed he's going to take his shot from outside the party rather than inside, because I'm very concerned the only thing he will be able to do is elect Al Gore." Smith has said he might form his own party, or run as a candidate for either the Reform Party or U.S. Taxpayer Party. He supports low taxes, a strong national defense and school prayer. He strongly opposes abortion and gun control. Pat Benjamin, national vice chairwoman of the Reform Party, said Smith had talked to party Chairman Russell Verney a while ago about how the Reform Party primary works, as well as what forming another party would involve. She said he was welcome to pursue the Reform Party nomination. "We welcome everyone. The more people who come in and try to become our nominee, the better," she said. "I think the No. 1 challenge he would face is that he tends to emphasize social issues, and in the Reform Party, we've chosen our membership to not address social issues. There's nothing in our platform about social issues. "Our issues focus on economics, political reform," she said. "I'd want to know, and I think our members would want to know, where he stands on the issues we focus on, like trade, a balanced budget, reducing the size of government, campaign finance reform." Smith has criticized other Republicans for saying the party must soften its hard-line position on gun control and other conservative issues in order to have a chance of winning the White House in 2000. Smith was supported by 1 percent of Republicans in the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, well behind virtually every other candidate in a field dominated by Bush. The second-term senator said he would not resign his Senate seat even if he runs as a member of a third party and loses. But he could have a hard time getting re-elected in 2002 without GOP support. As senator, Smith is chairman of the ethics committee, as well as a member of the Judiciary, Armed Services and Environment and Public Works. If Smith decides to resign from the party, it would be up to the GOP caucus to decide whether to protect his seniority rights on committees. His chairmanship of the Senate Ethics Committee could be at risk, although the committee is unpopular among senators and has difficulty attracting new members. And as a further example of the stakes involved for him, the New Hampshire conservative is in line to become chairman of the environment committee in the next Congress if Republicans hold their majority. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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MORE STORIES:Friday, July 9, 1999
• Transcript: Clinton speaks on patients' bill of rights • Video: How the poverty issue has changed since the 1960s • New Hampshire Sen. Smith to leave GOP • First lady supports Jerusalem as capital of Israel • Secretary of Veterans Affairs announces resignation • On 'listening tour,' first lady's attention turns to business issues • California court strikes down 'scarlet letter' term limits initiative • Gore defends affirmative action, cites minority wealth gap • Senate GOP income tax cut aims for people paying at lowest rate • Keyshawn Johnson trying to lure major commerce to inner city • From sparkling water to the economy, New Yorkers offer first lady advice • Governor's affair a central focus of Mississippi campaign • Proposed new job for vice president: stopping nuclear threat • GOP fires procedural salvo in HMO debate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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