Dole Pulls No Punches In Fight For California

By Rusty Dornin/AllPolitics

SAN FRANCISCO (AllPolitics, Oct. 19) -- Trailing in the polls late in the match, Bob Dole knows about the only way he's going to win the 1996 election is by knocking out his Democratic opponent.

Hitting Clinton hard with bare-fisted jabs on ethics is one part of this strategy; the other is beating the president in the nation's largest state, an electoral prize crucial to Clinton's re-election hopes.

"I'm going to fight for California," the Kansas Republican said. "We are in this race today in California."

Two years ago, California Gov. Pete Wilson hit hard on immigration issues and affirmative action. He was re-elected, and Dole hopes to gain votes with the same strategy.

"We want immigrants through the front door -- legal immigrants -- not illegal immigrants through the back door in America," Dole said.

But worries over immigration may not be foremost on the minds of many Californians. Pollster Mark DiCamillo said immigration ranked 19 out of 30 issues California voters care about.

The latest California poll, held after the first debate, shows Clinton leading Dole statewide by a 10-point margin. The president has tried to parlay California's improving economy to his advantage.

"There has never been a partnership between the national government and the people of any state like the one we have forged over the last four years," Clinton said.

Courting the favor of Californians has always been high on Clinton's agenda. He has made 28 presidential visits to the state since he was elected.

"In many ways it's too little too late for Bob Dole in California," said Susan Yoachum of the San Francisco Chronicle. "I think what he's trying to do is energize the Republican base so they'll come out and vote to get a Republican Congress."

In California, the Congressional delegation is split down the middle -- 26 Republicans and 26 Democrats. A shift in the delegation could be powerful, since California holds one-eighth of all the seats in the House of Representatives.

"I think it's a state that the Republican Party just does not want to yield to the Democratic Party," DiCamillo said. "If you're going to make a stand, it seems to make some sense to the future of the party to make a stand in California."

Californians can expect to see and hear a lot more of Bob Dole in the next few weeks -- in person and on the airwaves. Republican campaign strategists plan to spend $8 million on a media blitz there.

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