Fresh from GOP nomination, Lazio begins New York campaign in earnest

Hillary Clinton says campaign is about issues, not geography

May 31, 2000
Web posted at: 6:29 p.m. EDT (2229 GMT)

WATKINS GLEN, New York (CNN) -- Newly minted GOP Senate candidate Rick Lazio began introducing himself to upstate New Yorkers on Wednesday, embarking on a three-day bus tour as part of his bid to defeat first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in what will be one of this year's most closely watched contests for the U.S. Senate.

Rep. Rick Lazio shakes hands with a flag waving supporter during a campaign stop at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, Wednesday.

Traveling aboard his campaign bus -- dubbed the "Mainstream Express" to underscore the way he wants voters to view his congressional record -- Lazio stopped Wednesday in nearly a half-dozen counties.

"What we're trying to do is communicate my record, which is a mainstream record," he said, referring to the campaign bus' nickname. " I don't have to pretend to be anything other than who I am."

Lazio is allowing the type of unfettered media access aboard his campaign bus that seemed to work so well for former Republican presidential contender Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona).

"I'm going to be here answering your questions like I am right now at every stop," he told reporters. "We're going to be accessible. I expect to be held accountable ... I think that's what this campaign should be all about. It shouldn't be about rope lines and checking credentials and scripted responses."

At campaign stops in Syracuse, Dundee, Watkins Glen, Corning and Elmira on Wednesday, the four-term congressman met with voters, explaining why he was running for Senate: "On all the things I work on -- lowering taxes, helping those in need, cleaning up the environment -- I will have even more influence in the U.S. Senate."

"This is a struggle between somebody on the far left and somebody in the center," he told reporters before boarding his bus for a trip to the nearby Byrne Dairy creamery outside of Syracuse.

"This is not some Johnny-come-lately, coming onstage, saying 'Gee, I'd like your support now because I think the job would be neat,'" he said in an apparent comparison to Clinton, although he never referred to his opponent by name.

Later, during an onboard interview with The Associated Press, Lazio pledged that he would take the "high road" in the campaign. "I think this will be the pinnacle of my career," he said in an effort to dispel any doubt that he would use his potential position in the Senate to launch a presidential bid -- as some have speculated Clinton may be doing.

While refusing to share his thoughts on what the first lady's political ambitions might be, Lazio offered a stinging assessment, saying that New Yorkers should be asking themselves: "What have you done for us for the last eight years? Have you been in our corner, or are you just a Johnny-come-lately who is aspiring to a position? Is this about ambition or is this about public service?"

Lazio planned to be in Binghamton by Wednesday evening, concluding his first official day of campaigning. The bus tour is set to run through Friday, concluding in Lazio's native Long Island.

The first lady has been campaigning full time since she formally announced her candidacy in early February. Clinton has already visited all 62 counties in the Empire State, and Lazio is trying to quickly catch up.

"I begin this campaign with no illusions, he told conventioneers Tuesday. "I am the underdog in this race." Nevertheless, he said, "when it comes to representing the needs, the concerns and the values of New York, I can be myself. I am a New Yorker."

Biting back from the Big Apple

Wasting no time in contrasting herself with her opponent, Clinton told New York voters Wednesday that her campaign was one of "issues, not insults," in an effort to take the proverbial high road in what is expected to be a tight and testy race.

"While my opponent tells you where he's from, I'm going to tell you what I'm for," Clinton told a crowd of more than 200 supporters in Manhattan. "This (campaign) is not about who is from New York. This is about who will fight the right fight for all New Yorkers."

Although Lazio may be trying to paint his Democratic rival as an outsider, the Clinton campaign is attempting to define him as too right of center for New York voters.

"Now I've noticed that my new opponent uses much of the same rhetoric but he has a very different record," Clinton said Wednesday. "At a time when we must do everything possible for our schools, he opposes investing in school construction and he even opposes adding 100,000 federally funded teachers to our schools."

Speaking at a rally held at the offices of the New York District Council of Carpenters in lower Manhattan, Clinton continued to point out differences between herself and the Republican candidate, saying Lazio opposes a patients' bill of rights, handgun licensing and registration, and abortion in certain cases.

"While my opponent calls himself pro-choice he would cut off funds for abortion even in cases of rape, incest and (when) the life of the mother (is endangered) and he would deny choice for women serving in the military," she said.

"You know my friends that is just the wrong choice for New Yorkers. So as you can see there are clear differences between us."

CNN's Phil Hirschkorn, Shannon Troetel, Frank Buckley and The Associated Press contributed to this report.