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CNN Live Today

Races for Governor

Aired October 30, 2002 - 11:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Democrats and Republicans are fighting it out for control of the governors' mansions around the country. The struggling economy is a factor in some of those contests.
And joining us from Washington to talk about some governor races to watch, our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider.

Bill -- good morning once again.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: The economy plays out differently on the state races than it does federally, doesn't it?

SCHNEIDER: It certainly does, because tax revenues have been dropping with the slumping economy, and that hits governors right into the teeth. Why? Because, virtually all governors have a constitutional requirement to balance the budget. So, when they are hit with lower tax revenues, they either have to cut spending or raise taxes, which they don't want to do.

It doesn't hit the president so much. President Bush has a rising deficit, but there's no constitutional mandate to balance the budget. So, he can live with it. But governors across country, Democrats and Republicans, are in serious trouble.

KAGAN: Let's get right to some of the races, including the president's brother down in Florida. We just saw him in a little bit of a sticky situation a few minutes ago.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. That is the hottest political race in the entire country, Jeb Bush vs. the Democrat, Bill McBride. And the issue right now with the Haitian immigrants jumping off the ship, trying to seek asylum, economic asylum in the United States. That's a very divisive issue in Florida, because a lot of Floridians don't like the flood of refugees coming into their states. They think they're going to be dependent on welfare, they're going to take away jobs.

And at the same time, the Haitians are angry. They think they should be treated with decency and humanity. They should not be sent back.

And in Florida, the issue is especially keen, because the Haitian-Americans say, why can't they be treated like Cuban-Americans, who are given political asylum when they escape and allowed to stay here? Jeb Bush is right into the middle of that issue.

KAGAN: On to New York where the incumbent George Pataki. I've heard him described as someone who talks like a Republicans but spends like a Democrat to make people happy.

SCHNEIDER: Yes, he's becoming the new Nelson Rockefeller, if you remember him. Pataki is running for a third term. It looks like he's going to be re-elected, but Tom Golisano, a multimillionaire, is spending tens of millions of dollars in that race. And the big question in New York is, will Golisano come out ahead of the Democratic nominee, Carl McCall?

KAGAN: On to Texas, President Bush's home state, Rick Perry, the man who took the office after he moved on to the White House.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. Tony Sanchez, also a man with a lot of money, he is spending it, he's a Latino. The question is, will he mobilize the Latino vote? Most observers don't think Tony Sanchez will be able to get enough Latinos out to win this election, but he could register a lot of voters. He could turn them out in large numbers, and that could make a difference in Texas for the foreseeable future.

KAGAN: Let's move on to some of Democratic races to watch. First to Maryland, this is a place I've been spending a lot of time over the last few weeks.

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

KAGAN: Kathleen Townsend Kennedy, lieutenant governor right now and trying to take the top office in the state.

SCHNEIDER: Well, that's right. She is the daughter of Robert Kennedy, and that's why -- one of reasons why this race is interesting. The other is that this is a very Democratic state, and the race is a dead heat. The latest poll shows them exactly tied. That shouldn't be happening in a state as Democratic as Maryland.

Well, one thing she is paying a penalty for is that she's the lieutenant governor -- Parris Glendening is the Democratic governor, and he, too, is facing very serious budget problems -- and she appears to be paying the price.

KAGAN: I was surprised to see my home state of California on there, because Bill Simon, the Republican contender, I understand he's kind of writing a book on how not run a campaign...

SCHNEIDER: That's right.

KAGAN: ... making so many mistakes.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. No one expects him to win. But on the other hand, most Californians don't thing Gray Davis deserves to be reelected. He's got budget problems. They had those electrical blackouts a year ago. He's not a figure who is beloved among Californian voters.

So, really, the issue in California is, whose supporters are less demoralized? The question is, will Democrats bother to come out and vote for Gray Davis? Many of them don't like him. Republicans have virtually given up on Bill Simon. That's the question. Whose supporters are less demoralized? We're likely to see a record low turnout in California next week.

KAGAN: Which will affect other races as well.

SCHNEIDER: And that's what Democrats and Republicans are both worried about. How will this affect other races on that ballot?

KAGAN: Great. And, Bill, I guess we'll talk to you tomorrow about women in the race.

SCHNEIDER: Well, we can do that.

KAGAN: Tomorrow.

SCHNEIDER: There are a lot of them.

KAGAN: Yes, there are. We appreciate that. We'll see you tomorrow.

SCHNEIDER: OK.

KAGAN: Bill Schneider, thanks so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired October 30, 2002 - 11:18   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Democrats and Republicans are fighting it out for control of the governors' mansions around the country. The struggling economy is a factor in some of those contests.
And joining us from Washington to talk about some governor races to watch, our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider.

Bill -- good morning once again.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: The economy plays out differently on the state races than it does federally, doesn't it?

SCHNEIDER: It certainly does, because tax revenues have been dropping with the slumping economy, and that hits governors right into the teeth. Why? Because, virtually all governors have a constitutional requirement to balance the budget. So, when they are hit with lower tax revenues, they either have to cut spending or raise taxes, which they don't want to do.

It doesn't hit the president so much. President Bush has a rising deficit, but there's no constitutional mandate to balance the budget. So, he can live with it. But governors across country, Democrats and Republicans, are in serious trouble.

KAGAN: Let's get right to some of the races, including the president's brother down in Florida. We just saw him in a little bit of a sticky situation a few minutes ago.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. That is the hottest political race in the entire country, Jeb Bush vs. the Democrat, Bill McBride. And the issue right now with the Haitian immigrants jumping off the ship, trying to seek asylum, economic asylum in the United States. That's a very divisive issue in Florida, because a lot of Floridians don't like the flood of refugees coming into their states. They think they're going to be dependent on welfare, they're going to take away jobs.

And at the same time, the Haitians are angry. They think they should be treated with decency and humanity. They should not be sent back.

And in Florida, the issue is especially keen, because the Haitian-Americans say, why can't they be treated like Cuban-Americans, who are given political asylum when they escape and allowed to stay here? Jeb Bush is right into the middle of that issue.

KAGAN: On to New York where the incumbent George Pataki. I've heard him described as someone who talks like a Republicans but spends like a Democrat to make people happy.

SCHNEIDER: Yes, he's becoming the new Nelson Rockefeller, if you remember him. Pataki is running for a third term. It looks like he's going to be re-elected, but Tom Golisano, a multimillionaire, is spending tens of millions of dollars in that race. And the big question in New York is, will Golisano come out ahead of the Democratic nominee, Carl McCall?

KAGAN: On to Texas, President Bush's home state, Rick Perry, the man who took the office after he moved on to the White House.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. Tony Sanchez, also a man with a lot of money, he is spending it, he's a Latino. The question is, will he mobilize the Latino vote? Most observers don't think Tony Sanchez will be able to get enough Latinos out to win this election, but he could register a lot of voters. He could turn them out in large numbers, and that could make a difference in Texas for the foreseeable future.

KAGAN: Let's move on to some of Democratic races to watch. First to Maryland, this is a place I've been spending a lot of time over the last few weeks.

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

KAGAN: Kathleen Townsend Kennedy, lieutenant governor right now and trying to take the top office in the state.

SCHNEIDER: Well, that's right. She is the daughter of Robert Kennedy, and that's why -- one of reasons why this race is interesting. The other is that this is a very Democratic state, and the race is a dead heat. The latest poll shows them exactly tied. That shouldn't be happening in a state as Democratic as Maryland.

Well, one thing she is paying a penalty for is that she's the lieutenant governor -- Parris Glendening is the Democratic governor, and he, too, is facing very serious budget problems -- and she appears to be paying the price.

KAGAN: I was surprised to see my home state of California on there, because Bill Simon, the Republican contender, I understand he's kind of writing a book on how not run a campaign...

SCHNEIDER: That's right.

KAGAN: ... making so many mistakes.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. No one expects him to win. But on the other hand, most Californians don't thing Gray Davis deserves to be reelected. He's got budget problems. They had those electrical blackouts a year ago. He's not a figure who is beloved among Californian voters.

So, really, the issue in California is, whose supporters are less demoralized? The question is, will Democrats bother to come out and vote for Gray Davis? Many of them don't like him. Republicans have virtually given up on Bill Simon. That's the question. Whose supporters are less demoralized? We're likely to see a record low turnout in California next week.

KAGAN: Which will affect other races as well.

SCHNEIDER: And that's what Democrats and Republicans are both worried about. How will this affect other races on that ballot?

KAGAN: Great. And, Bill, I guess we'll talk to you tomorrow about women in the race.

SCHNEIDER: Well, we can do that.

KAGAN: Tomorrow.

SCHNEIDER: There are a lot of them.

KAGAN: Yes, there are. We appreciate that. We'll see you tomorrow.

SCHNEIDER: OK.

KAGAN: Bill Schneider, thanks so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.