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CNN Sunday Morning

Bush Travels to Midwest to Campaign

Aired November 03, 2002 - 10:02   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Election 2002 is coming down to the wire. And a handful of races could change the balance of power in Congress. President Bush is hoping to tip the scales in favor of the Republicans. He's on a 10-state campaign swing that takes him to the Midwest today. The president is traveling to Illinois, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa to help candidates in close races there.
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the president will be making a stop a little bit later today. Good morning again, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. And, of course, this campaign is anything but typical, as we all know. We know that Senator Paul Wellstone's death threw it into a turmoil, and now Walter Mondale is the Democratic candidate. And they've finally in this five-day campaign agreed that the last day is going to have a debate. The debate right here in St. Paul at the Fitzgerald Theater in back of me. It's a well-known theater. In fact, for those of you who are NPR fans, you know that Garrison Keeler does his "Prarie Home Companion" program from this particular theater. But it's going to be turned over to debate on Monday morning at 11:00 in the morning Eastern time. A one-hour debate that will include two hosts, plus questions from the audience and e-mail questions. All of that is tomorrow.

But first, today, Norm Coleman, who is the Republican candidate against Mondale. He is out there very aggressively trying to make sure that this very, very close race, in fact, is one that he wins and he's having the help of all the major Republicans. First lady Laura Bush was in the state yesterday. As you pointed out, President Bush is stopping here. Just a couple of blocks from where we are, at about 4:30 Eastern today, to make one of his campaign appearances. This one on behalf of Norm Coleman.

Meanwhile, Walter Mondale, candidate last in 1984, but back again at age 74, out campaigning. He was in the Duluth area. He's going to spend some of his time in the northern part of the state, and then he's going to come back here and prepare for tomorrow's debate. So the debate is going to be the quick climax of this campaign, which as I said, has lasted five days. And as far as how close it is, it depends on which paper you read. The Minneapolis paper, the "Star Tribune," has a five-point lead for Mondale, and the St. Paul paper, the "Pioneer Press," has it exactly the opposite.

Either of them is statistically insignificant, so this race definitely is a toss-up -- Heidi. COLLINS: All right, very interesting. Thank you, Bob Franken from St. Paul this morning.

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 November 3, 2002 - 10:02   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Election 2002 is coming down to the wire. And a handful of races could change the balance of power in Congress. President Bush is hoping to tip the scales in favor of the Republicans. He's on a 10-state campaign swing that takes him to the Midwest today. The president is traveling to Illinois, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa to help candidates in close races there.
CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the president will be making a stop a little bit later today. Good morning again, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. And, of course, this campaign is anything but typical, as we all know. We know that Senator Paul Wellstone's death threw it into a turmoil, and now Walter Mondale is the Democratic candidate. And they've finally in this five-day campaign agreed that the last day is going to have a debate. The debate right here in St. Paul at the Fitzgerald Theater in back of me. It's a well-known theater. In fact, for those of you who are NPR fans, you know that Garrison Keeler does his "Prarie Home Companion" program from this particular theater. But it's going to be turned over to debate on Monday morning at 11:00 in the morning Eastern time. A one-hour debate that will include two hosts, plus questions from the audience and e-mail questions. All of that is tomorrow.

But first, today, Norm Coleman, who is the Republican candidate against Mondale. He is out there very aggressively trying to make sure that this very, very close race, in fact, is one that he wins and he's having the help of all the major Republicans. First lady Laura Bush was in the state yesterday. As you pointed out, President Bush is stopping here. Just a couple of blocks from where we are, at about 4:30 Eastern today, to make one of his campaign appearances. This one on behalf of Norm Coleman.

Meanwhile, Walter Mondale, candidate last in 1984, but back again at age 74, out campaigning. He was in the Duluth area. He's going to spend some of his time in the northern part of the state, and then he's going to come back here and prepare for tomorrow's debate. So the debate is going to be the quick climax of this campaign, which as I said, has lasted five days. And as far as how close it is, it depends on which paper you read. The Minneapolis paper, the "Star Tribune," has a five-point lead for Mondale, and the St. Paul paper, the "Pioneer Press," has it exactly the opposite.

Either of them is statistically insignificant, so this race definitely is a toss-up -- Heidi. COLLINS: All right, very interesting. Thank you, Bob Franken from St. Paul this morning.

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