Next stop: South Carolina

(AllPolitics, Feb. 28) -- Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes said Wednesday his primary victory in Arizona means the contest for the GOP nomination is "wide open."

Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, who finished second in Arizona, has charged Forbes with trying to "buy" the nomination. Forbes spent an estimated $4 million dollars on advertising in the Grand Canyon State. Dole won both the North and South Dakota primaries Tuesday. (99K AIFF or WAV sound)

Forbes said he spent less than $4 million, although he would not say how much. The publishing magnate said in the campaign so far, he has spent less than Dole.

Forbes, interviewed on CNN Wednesday, said how much he spent is less important than his message.

"Message is the key, not the money," he said.

Pat Buchanan, also appearing on CNN, explained his third-place finish in Arizona by saying, "It's very tough to overcome $4 million in advertising and a half-million dollars targeted on me by my old friend, Bob Dole."

Forbes is tailoring his message to voters, "pretending to be a social conservative," Buchanan said. He said Forbes is using some of his ideas, such as ending congressional pensions, the flat tax, and downsizing government, because he has seen they catch on with voters.

Buchanan said Forbes' views on "gays in the military is straight down the line with Clinton. He is pro-abortion, through the sixth month of pregnancy, which is considered a pro-choice position. It's not a pro-life position." (182K AIFF or WAV sound)

Forbes disputed that, saying he supports a ban on late-term abortions and he wants to change people's attitudes on the issue so there are fewer abortions. He also supports mandatory parental notification if a minor wants to have an abortion, he said.

Buchanan said he will raise the abortion issue in South Carolina, which holds its primary on Saturday.

Despite the Arizona defeat, Buchanan predicted there is no limit on how well his candidacy can do.

"It's clearly a three-man race. Steve Forbes is a social liberal, Bob Dole is the establishment Republican from Washington, D.C., and I think the establishment will move behind him unless Lamar (Alexander) does something in South Carolina. And we are the populist conservative candidate, who has a great base in the South."

But Forbes said Dole should win in South Carolina, because he has the lead there. Forbes said his Arizona victory shows his candidacy is beholden to no one, including special interests and lobbyists.

He expects to do well in Georgia and South Carolina, he said, and he says he can win the delegate-rich (93) New York primary on March 7th.

Forbes said his victory Tuesday night and last weekend in Delaware is proof his message of "growth and opportunity" is catching on with voters. (116K AIFF or WAV sound)

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