Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

In Last Weekend Before Midterm Elections, Political Campaigns in Overdrive

Aired November 02, 2002 - 08:01   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: In the last weekend before Tuesday's mid-term elections, political campaigns are in overdrive. Democrats want to maintain control of the Senate. Republicans are fighting to get it back.
One state getting special attention, Minnesota. Former Vice President Walter Mondale has stepped in to replace the late Senator Paul Wellstone and is now locked in a tight race with Republican Norm Coleman.

CNN's Bob Franken joins us now with more from Minneapolis -- hi, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi. And here's how Yogi Berra would put it, it's back to the future here all over again. And it's an incredibly polite campaign, all of it, all three days of it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): At 74 years old, Walter Mondale was enjoying life as an icon. But now that he's back in the fray, his Republican opponent, Norman Coleman, is trying to push hard against the icon, trying to bridge the gap between aggressive and tasteful.

NORMAN COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA SENATE CANDIDATE: This election is about hope and opportunity, about jobs. It's about quality education for our kids. It's about taking care of our parents and grandparents.

FRANKEN: That's one of the gentle spots the Coleman campaign has decided to run after aides claim their candidate asked them to pull another one, an attack ad. It dredged up the economic tribulations when Walter Mondale was Jimmy Carter's vice president. Mondale made it quite clear that just might backfire.

WALTER MONDALE (D), MINNESOTA SENATE CANDIDATE: We've got two days to go and I want to stay on the positive issues of what I want to do and people know Paul Wellstone's issues. They know where he stood. They know where I stood. Compare them.

FRANKEN: So instead of negative ads, Coleman is relying on the GOP's heavy hitters. Vice President Dick Cheney made a stop.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As a senator, he'll be forward looking and effective and a truly independent voice for an independent state. FRANKEN: President Bush and the first lady will make separate appearances for the Republican candidate over the weekend. At the same time, negotiations continue for a face to face debate between Coleman and Mondale. Mondale turned down an encounter tonight, saying he had no time to prepare.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: For now, they're keeping their distance, politely tiptoeing along the high road to see if it gets them anywhere -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Bob, let me just ask you, is there any fallout, at least at this point over the weekend -- we've just got a couple of days to go here before people are casting their ballots -- from the funeral of Paul Wellstone and the tone, the possibly you may call it rally, sort of tone that that took? I know the governor walked out. Any word there from Republicans that you're hearing?

FRANKEN: Well, Republicans are trying to generate support, trying to keep their faithful outraged so they'll turn out and vote. Meanwhile, the Wellstone supporters are all saying that you have to vote for Paul. So really, after all of this, it comes down to the traditional battle over voter turnout, both sides trying to get whatever advantage they can. And, of course, one of the issues was that memorial service/political rally.

COLLINS: All right, Bob Franken in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Thanks so much.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are 36 gubernatorial seats up for grabs.

National correspondent Bruce Morton takes a look at some of the hot races.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY SANCHEZ (D), TEXAS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: He has no morals, no ethical underpinning. There are no lines of decency that he will not cross.

BRUCE MORTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Texas Democrat Tony Sanchez doesn't like his Republican opponent Rick Perrey (ph). This outburst was triggered by what Sanchez thought was an unfair ad. But Perrey, the incumbent governor, is well ahead in the polls and favored to win.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our governor, Gray Davis.

MORTON: California may have the funniest race. Voters turned on Governor Gray Davis over the state's economic woes, but they don't like Republican Bill Simon, either.

BILL SIMON (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Good morning, Mr. President.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Is this Bill?

SIMON: This is Bill Simon, the next governor of California.

BUSH: Absolutely.

MORTON: No, polls have Davis ahead, but if none of the above were on the ballot, it might win.

JIM RYAN, (R), ILLINOIS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's a dirty trick. What do you think it is?

MORTON: Illinois Republican candidate Jim Ryan is attacking this union bought ad, which shows Democratic Congressman Rod Biagojovich running not against Jim Ryan, but against the unpopular incumbent governor, George Ryan. A printer's error, the union said. Anyway, the two Ryans are attacking each other -- you're a bad candidate, you're a bad governor -- and Biagojovich may well be Illinois' first Democratic governor in 30 years.

In New York, Republican George Pataki seems assured of a third term, well ahead of Democrat Carl McCall and independent Tom Galisano.

In Pennsylvania, they've been electing Republican governors for eight years then Democrats for eight years for about half a century. So, it should be Democrat Ed Rendell's turn, despite Republican Mike Fischer's (ph) best efforts.

Lots of women this year. State Treasurer Shannon O'Brien in a tight race with Republican Mitt Romney in Massachusetts. Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in a close on in Maryland. Democratic women favored in Michigan and Kansas.

Do governors matter? Well, four of the last five presidents were governors first.

Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Well, Florida is in the election spotlight again. The president's brother Jeb seeking a second term as governor. His rival is a political novice who defeated former Attorney General Janet Reno in the Democratic primary.

Joining us with more on Florida's political battlefield, Tyler Bridges of the "Miami Herald."

Good to have you with us, Tyler.

TYLER BRIDGES, "MIAMI HERALD": Good morning.

O'BRIEN: All right, first of all, let's talk about the process for a moment down there. Is it apt to be another mess? Are we going to see a complete deja vu all over again kind of election in Florida? BRIDGES: Well, we have a very long ballot throughout the state this year. There's very long lines and so there are already beginning to be some problems, because Florida has early voting this year. And particularly in Broward County, which is Fort Lauderdale, they don't have enough voting machines and there could be some chaos there on election day.

O'BRIEN: Yikes! So we're already predicting chaos. There was a request to extend the poll times, to leave them open a little longer. That's been denied, hasn't it?

BRIDGES: Yes, and as I said, they don't have enough voting machines, it appears, in Broward County, and that's bad news for Bill McBride. That's the most Democratic county in the state. That's an area where Bill McBride needs a very big turnout and he may not be able to get it because of the lack of voting machines.

O'BRIEN: So the conventional wisdom is that a higher turnout would favor McBride?

BRIDGES: Absolutely, particularly in south Florida. That's the Democratic area in the state. And Bill McBride needs a big turnout in south Florida to offset the Republican advantage that Jeb Bush has in the other parts of Florida.

O'BRIEN: Tell us, what are the latest numbers you have at the "Herald" there as far as this race goes? Too close to call, right?

BRIDGES: Well, I think that Jeb Bush clearly has the advantage at this point, perhaps as large as 10 points, maybe as small as five points. That doesn't mean that McBride's not going to win. But he's going to need a very, very big turnout to offset the advantage that I'm hearing that Bush has right now in the polls.

O'BRIEN: All right, the governor's brother is headed your way today.

BRIDGES: That's right.

O'BRIEN: Assess for us the impact of a presidential visit on all this. Does it mean a lot? Does it make a lot of difference at this juncture?

BRIDGES: Well, certainly it's going to provide a lot of favorable publicity for Jeb Bush. This is the 12th visit to Florida by President Bush. He's obviously a popular president and some of that will rub off on Jeb Bush. And then, of course, Bill Clinton is in town in Miami today and tomorrow. So we've got the current president here in the state today and also the former president.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the Clinton factor for just a moment. Some candidates maybe would prefer that Mr. Clinton not campaign on their behalf. Is Clinton a popular former candidate, popular enough to win some support for Mr. McBride?

BRIDGES: Well, they obviously think so. And it's strategic where he has come. He's not in north Florida, where he's not popular. He's not in central Florida, where there's a lot of swing voters. He's in south Florida, the most Democratic area of the state, and where Bill McBride needs a big turnout. He, the former president is here to pump up the base, as it were, to get the most loyal Democrats to make sure that they get out to the polls rather than potentially stay home.

O'BRIEN: There are some reports that there could be lines as long as 30, 45 minutes, maybe longer, to vote. Do you think people will stick it out and vote?

BRIDGES: Well, obviously we certainly hope so. It's the most democratic thing that can go on in this country. But there are potentially very long lines. And as I mentioned earlier, that's bad news potentially for Bill McBride, because he needs a very, very big turnout if he's going to have a chance of defeating Governor Bush.

O'BRIEN: Give us a sense of where this is headed, then. Do you, I mean are we likely to see a Florida election back in the courts?

BRIDGES: Well, both sides are prepared to do so. Both sides have got legal teams ready to go, something they didn't have, I don't think, in the 2000 election. At every poll, in every precinct, there are going to be workers for both parties in case there's any problems. They have hot lines to call lawyers and if there's any problems on election day, they'll go to court. And afterwards they're ready to go.

O'BRIEN: All right, and as we talk here, Tyler, the president is weakling across the South Lawn on his way to Marine I to begin his journey. He'll stop in Tennessee, Georgia and then to the Sunshine State where you are, to begin a vigorous day of tarmac campaigning, essentially. Air Force One parks, a speech and on they move. I think somebody earlier said this is the jet fuel portion of the campaign.

Let me just, a final note from you, because it's a bit, become a bit of an after thought. What about Janet Reno's political future in Florida?

BRIDGES: I don't see how she has one. She lost a race that everybody thought that she was going to win. There's questions about her health. She's in her early '60s now. I asked her the other day what she wants to do next and she said she wants to perfect her kayaking.

O'BRIEN: All right.

President Bush on his way to your part of the world today. The campaign heating up. He leaves Washington on a brisk, sunny day for warmer climes.

And we wish you well covering the race down there, Tyler.

I think you've got your work cut out for you if the lawsuits are almost predrafted, aren't they?

BRIDGES: Well, it certainly is an interesting time.

O'BRIEN: All right, thanks for being with us.

Tyler Bridges with the "Miami Herald."

Heidi?

COLLINS: Our reporter's notebook will take a closer look at the political battlefield this week, this last weekend before the midterm election, I should say. White House correspondent Kelly Wallace, CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider, national correspondent Bob Franken and "Miami Herald" political reporter, who you just met, Tyler Bridges, will take your questions. E-mail us. The address is wam@cnn.com.

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





Campaigns in Overdrive>


Aired November 2, 2002 - 08:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: In the last weekend before Tuesday's mid-term elections, political campaigns are in overdrive. Democrats want to maintain control of the Senate. Republicans are fighting to get it back.
One state getting special attention, Minnesota. Former Vice President Walter Mondale has stepped in to replace the late Senator Paul Wellstone and is now locked in a tight race with Republican Norm Coleman.

CNN's Bob Franken joins us now with more from Minneapolis -- hi, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi. And here's how Yogi Berra would put it, it's back to the future here all over again. And it's an incredibly polite campaign, all of it, all three days of it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): At 74 years old, Walter Mondale was enjoying life as an icon. But now that he's back in the fray, his Republican opponent, Norman Coleman, is trying to push hard against the icon, trying to bridge the gap between aggressive and tasteful.

NORMAN COLEMAN (R), MINNESOTA SENATE CANDIDATE: This election is about hope and opportunity, about jobs. It's about quality education for our kids. It's about taking care of our parents and grandparents.

FRANKEN: That's one of the gentle spots the Coleman campaign has decided to run after aides claim their candidate asked them to pull another one, an attack ad. It dredged up the economic tribulations when Walter Mondale was Jimmy Carter's vice president. Mondale made it quite clear that just might backfire.

WALTER MONDALE (D), MINNESOTA SENATE CANDIDATE: We've got two days to go and I want to stay on the positive issues of what I want to do and people know Paul Wellstone's issues. They know where he stood. They know where I stood. Compare them.

FRANKEN: So instead of negative ads, Coleman is relying on the GOP's heavy hitters. Vice President Dick Cheney made a stop.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As a senator, he'll be forward looking and effective and a truly independent voice for an independent state. FRANKEN: President Bush and the first lady will make separate appearances for the Republican candidate over the weekend. At the same time, negotiations continue for a face to face debate between Coleman and Mondale. Mondale turned down an encounter tonight, saying he had no time to prepare.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: For now, they're keeping their distance, politely tiptoeing along the high road to see if it gets them anywhere -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Bob, let me just ask you, is there any fallout, at least at this point over the weekend -- we've just got a couple of days to go here before people are casting their ballots -- from the funeral of Paul Wellstone and the tone, the possibly you may call it rally, sort of tone that that took? I know the governor walked out. Any word there from Republicans that you're hearing?

FRANKEN: Well, Republicans are trying to generate support, trying to keep their faithful outraged so they'll turn out and vote. Meanwhile, the Wellstone supporters are all saying that you have to vote for Paul. So really, after all of this, it comes down to the traditional battle over voter turnout, both sides trying to get whatever advantage they can. And, of course, one of the issues was that memorial service/political rally.

COLLINS: All right, Bob Franken in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Thanks so much.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are 36 gubernatorial seats up for grabs.

National correspondent Bruce Morton takes a look at some of the hot races.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY SANCHEZ (D), TEXAS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: He has no morals, no ethical underpinning. There are no lines of decency that he will not cross.

BRUCE MORTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Texas Democrat Tony Sanchez doesn't like his Republican opponent Rick Perrey (ph). This outburst was triggered by what Sanchez thought was an unfair ad. But Perrey, the incumbent governor, is well ahead in the polls and favored to win.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our governor, Gray Davis.

MORTON: California may have the funniest race. Voters turned on Governor Gray Davis over the state's economic woes, but they don't like Republican Bill Simon, either.

BILL SIMON (R), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Good morning, Mr. President.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Is this Bill?

SIMON: This is Bill Simon, the next governor of California.

BUSH: Absolutely.

MORTON: No, polls have Davis ahead, but if none of the above were on the ballot, it might win.

JIM RYAN, (R), ILLINOIS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's a dirty trick. What do you think it is?

MORTON: Illinois Republican candidate Jim Ryan is attacking this union bought ad, which shows Democratic Congressman Rod Biagojovich running not against Jim Ryan, but against the unpopular incumbent governor, George Ryan. A printer's error, the union said. Anyway, the two Ryans are attacking each other -- you're a bad candidate, you're a bad governor -- and Biagojovich may well be Illinois' first Democratic governor in 30 years.

In New York, Republican George Pataki seems assured of a third term, well ahead of Democrat Carl McCall and independent Tom Galisano.

In Pennsylvania, they've been electing Republican governors for eight years then Democrats for eight years for about half a century. So, it should be Democrat Ed Rendell's turn, despite Republican Mike Fischer's (ph) best efforts.

Lots of women this year. State Treasurer Shannon O'Brien in a tight race with Republican Mitt Romney in Massachusetts. Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend in a close on in Maryland. Democratic women favored in Michigan and Kansas.

Do governors matter? Well, four of the last five presidents were governors first.

Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Well, Florida is in the election spotlight again. The president's brother Jeb seeking a second term as governor. His rival is a political novice who defeated former Attorney General Janet Reno in the Democratic primary.

Joining us with more on Florida's political battlefield, Tyler Bridges of the "Miami Herald."

Good to have you with us, Tyler.

TYLER BRIDGES, "MIAMI HERALD": Good morning.

O'BRIEN: All right, first of all, let's talk about the process for a moment down there. Is it apt to be another mess? Are we going to see a complete deja vu all over again kind of election in Florida? BRIDGES: Well, we have a very long ballot throughout the state this year. There's very long lines and so there are already beginning to be some problems, because Florida has early voting this year. And particularly in Broward County, which is Fort Lauderdale, they don't have enough voting machines and there could be some chaos there on election day.

O'BRIEN: Yikes! So we're already predicting chaos. There was a request to extend the poll times, to leave them open a little longer. That's been denied, hasn't it?

BRIDGES: Yes, and as I said, they don't have enough voting machines, it appears, in Broward County, and that's bad news for Bill McBride. That's the most Democratic county in the state. That's an area where Bill McBride needs a very big turnout and he may not be able to get it because of the lack of voting machines.

O'BRIEN: So the conventional wisdom is that a higher turnout would favor McBride?

BRIDGES: Absolutely, particularly in south Florida. That's the Democratic area in the state. And Bill McBride needs a big turnout in south Florida to offset the Republican advantage that Jeb Bush has in the other parts of Florida.

O'BRIEN: Tell us, what are the latest numbers you have at the "Herald" there as far as this race goes? Too close to call, right?

BRIDGES: Well, I think that Jeb Bush clearly has the advantage at this point, perhaps as large as 10 points, maybe as small as five points. That doesn't mean that McBride's not going to win. But he's going to need a very, very big turnout to offset the advantage that I'm hearing that Bush has right now in the polls.

O'BRIEN: All right, the governor's brother is headed your way today.

BRIDGES: That's right.

O'BRIEN: Assess for us the impact of a presidential visit on all this. Does it mean a lot? Does it make a lot of difference at this juncture?

BRIDGES: Well, certainly it's going to provide a lot of favorable publicity for Jeb Bush. This is the 12th visit to Florida by President Bush. He's obviously a popular president and some of that will rub off on Jeb Bush. And then, of course, Bill Clinton is in town in Miami today and tomorrow. So we've got the current president here in the state today and also the former president.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the Clinton factor for just a moment. Some candidates maybe would prefer that Mr. Clinton not campaign on their behalf. Is Clinton a popular former candidate, popular enough to win some support for Mr. McBride?

BRIDGES: Well, they obviously think so. And it's strategic where he has come. He's not in north Florida, where he's not popular. He's not in central Florida, where there's a lot of swing voters. He's in south Florida, the most Democratic area of the state, and where Bill McBride needs a big turnout. He, the former president is here to pump up the base, as it were, to get the most loyal Democrats to make sure that they get out to the polls rather than potentially stay home.

O'BRIEN: There are some reports that there could be lines as long as 30, 45 minutes, maybe longer, to vote. Do you think people will stick it out and vote?

BRIDGES: Well, obviously we certainly hope so. It's the most democratic thing that can go on in this country. But there are potentially very long lines. And as I mentioned earlier, that's bad news potentially for Bill McBride, because he needs a very, very big turnout if he's going to have a chance of defeating Governor Bush.

O'BRIEN: Give us a sense of where this is headed, then. Do you, I mean are we likely to see a Florida election back in the courts?

BRIDGES: Well, both sides are prepared to do so. Both sides have got legal teams ready to go, something they didn't have, I don't think, in the 2000 election. At every poll, in every precinct, there are going to be workers for both parties in case there's any problems. They have hot lines to call lawyers and if there's any problems on election day, they'll go to court. And afterwards they're ready to go.

O'BRIEN: All right, and as we talk here, Tyler, the president is weakling across the South Lawn on his way to Marine I to begin his journey. He'll stop in Tennessee, Georgia and then to the Sunshine State where you are, to begin a vigorous day of tarmac campaigning, essentially. Air Force One parks, a speech and on they move. I think somebody earlier said this is the jet fuel portion of the campaign.

Let me just, a final note from you, because it's a bit, become a bit of an after thought. What about Janet Reno's political future in Florida?

BRIDGES: I don't see how she has one. She lost a race that everybody thought that she was going to win. There's questions about her health. She's in her early '60s now. I asked her the other day what she wants to do next and she said she wants to perfect her kayaking.

O'BRIEN: All right.

President Bush on his way to your part of the world today. The campaign heating up. He leaves Washington on a brisk, sunny day for warmer climes.

And we wish you well covering the race down there, Tyler.

I think you've got your work cut out for you if the lawsuits are almost predrafted, aren't they?

BRIDGES: Well, it certainly is an interesting time.

O'BRIEN: All right, thanks for being with us.

Tyler Bridges with the "Miami Herald."

Heidi?

COLLINS: Our reporter's notebook will take a closer look at the political battlefield this week, this last weekend before the midterm election, I should say. White House correspondent Kelly Wallace, CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider, national correspondent Bob Franken and "Miami Herald" political reporter, who you just met, Tyler Bridges, will take your questions. E-mail us. The address is wam@cnn.com.

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





Campaigns in Overdrive>