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CNN Live Sunday
Interview With Ron Faucheux
Aired January 25, 2004 - 16:32 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.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well let's talk more about the 2004 president's race. Joining me now from Washington is Ron Faucheus he teaches campaign management at George Washington University. All right, good to see. Well the polls are showing that Kerry is way out in front in New Hampshire. In fact, what is he doing so right to gain so many points in just a 24-hour period?
RON FAUCHEUX, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIV: Well, it's really been over the period of the last week, and his victory in Iowa gave a tremendous impetus, but it looks like Democratic voters in New Hampshire and in other parts of the country certainly in Iowa are really turned on to the prospect able elect ability. Of having somebody who can present himself as an elect able presidential candidate who has a chance to win in November, and John Kerry has been rotting that way very effectively the last few days.
WHITFIELD: Well the outcome of the New Hampshire primary could certainly determine who moves on to South Carolina. Do you agree with that?
FAUCHEUX: It certainly could happen. It could possibly eliminate one or two candidates. What I find interesting about the polls is the tremendous volatility right now. Not so much with Kerry's position in first place, but in the position of the other candidates. And a lot of that has to do with independent voters have the ability to vote in the Democratic primary, and there are more independent voters registered independents in New Hampshire than Democrats. So if a large number of them decide to vote and break one way that could have a big impact on this primary's outcome.
WHITFIELD: We saw in Iowa that some of the candidates move on to New Hampshire even before the caucuses. Who in this case needs to start packing their bag, get out of New Hampshire in time for the Tuesday primary and make their way to South Carolina?
FAUCHEUX: Well, of course John Kerry, assuming he wins, has a lot of states to go to. Not just South Carolina but it is every place from Missouri to Arizona and a number of other big states, too, that's coming up on the calendar.
WHITFIELD: But John Edwards all ready handily seems like he has got a lot of support in South Carolina, given that's his birth state and he's from neighboring North Carolina?
FAUCHEUX: Absolutely, John Edwards has to spend and has spent considerable time in South Carolina. It's an opportunity for him to break through. One of the problems he may have there is the number of votes that Al Sharpton gets among African-Americans.
WHITFIELD: Well, in fact speaking of Al Sharpton and even Dennis Kucinich, you know can they afford to do any worse than fourth place in this race? Is it time for them to start, you know, thinking about re-assessing things? Can they financially afford to stay in the race?
FAUCHEUX: Financially, I don't know. It really depends on their ability to live off the land. Neither Sharpton nor Kucinich is expected to come anywhere close to winning the nomination. So they have no expectations. They can keep going as long as they want, as long as people invite them to forums and the debates and cover them in the press. And Sharpton could very well receive a significant number of votes, particularly in southern primaries.
WHITFIELD: Your best advice for Howard Dean, given that he's lost a lot of ground, however, he has picked up a couple more percentage points, at least according to the CNN "USA Today" recent poll?
FAUCHEUX: Well, if he runs a respectable, strong second in New Hampshire, he may be able to fashion that into sort of a comeback kid type of result. Then he can take that and build on the base that he has around the country. He's still in a difficult transition between being the front-runner, the sort of the anti-war protest, anti- Washington candidate.
Now he's trying to transition to becoming a former front-runner, and attempting to sort of retool and sharpen his message from before. And so far it's really hasn't gone that well, but it looks like perhaps there is a chance he could rebound a little bit in the next 24 hours, and hold on to second place and maybe keep it a respectable second place.
WHITFIELD: All right, Ron Faucheux thanks very much. Good to see you.
FAUCHEUX: Thank you.
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 January 25, 2004 - 16:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well let's talk more about the 2004 president's race. Joining me now from Washington is Ron Faucheus he teaches campaign management at George Washington University. All right, good to see. Well the polls are showing that Kerry is way out in front in New Hampshire. In fact, what is he doing so right to gain so many points in just a 24-hour period?
RON FAUCHEUX, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIV: Well, it's really been over the period of the last week, and his victory in Iowa gave a tremendous impetus, but it looks like Democratic voters in New Hampshire and in other parts of the country certainly in Iowa are really turned on to the prospect able elect ability. Of having somebody who can present himself as an elect able presidential candidate who has a chance to win in November, and John Kerry has been rotting that way very effectively the last few days.
WHITFIELD: Well the outcome of the New Hampshire primary could certainly determine who moves on to South Carolina. Do you agree with that?
FAUCHEUX: It certainly could happen. It could possibly eliminate one or two candidates. What I find interesting about the polls is the tremendous volatility right now. Not so much with Kerry's position in first place, but in the position of the other candidates. And a lot of that has to do with independent voters have the ability to vote in the Democratic primary, and there are more independent voters registered independents in New Hampshire than Democrats. So if a large number of them decide to vote and break one way that could have a big impact on this primary's outcome.
WHITFIELD: We saw in Iowa that some of the candidates move on to New Hampshire even before the caucuses. Who in this case needs to start packing their bag, get out of New Hampshire in time for the Tuesday primary and make their way to South Carolina?
FAUCHEUX: Well, of course John Kerry, assuming he wins, has a lot of states to go to. Not just South Carolina but it is every place from Missouri to Arizona and a number of other big states, too, that's coming up on the calendar.
WHITFIELD: But John Edwards all ready handily seems like he has got a lot of support in South Carolina, given that's his birth state and he's from neighboring North Carolina?
FAUCHEUX: Absolutely, John Edwards has to spend and has spent considerable time in South Carolina. It's an opportunity for him to break through. One of the problems he may have there is the number of votes that Al Sharpton gets among African-Americans.
WHITFIELD: Well, in fact speaking of Al Sharpton and even Dennis Kucinich, you know can they afford to do any worse than fourth place in this race? Is it time for them to start, you know, thinking about re-assessing things? Can they financially afford to stay in the race?
FAUCHEUX: Financially, I don't know. It really depends on their ability to live off the land. Neither Sharpton nor Kucinich is expected to come anywhere close to winning the nomination. So they have no expectations. They can keep going as long as they want, as long as people invite them to forums and the debates and cover them in the press. And Sharpton could very well receive a significant number of votes, particularly in southern primaries.
WHITFIELD: Your best advice for Howard Dean, given that he's lost a lot of ground, however, he has picked up a couple more percentage points, at least according to the CNN "USA Today" recent poll?
FAUCHEUX: Well, if he runs a respectable, strong second in New Hampshire, he may be able to fashion that into sort of a comeback kid type of result. Then he can take that and build on the base that he has around the country. He's still in a difficult transition between being the front-runner, the sort of the anti-war protest, anti- Washington candidate.
Now he's trying to transition to becoming a former front-runner, and attempting to sort of retool and sharpen his message from before. And so far it's really hasn't gone that well, but it looks like perhaps there is a chance he could rebound a little bit in the next 24 hours, and hold on to second place and maybe keep it a respectable second place.
WHITFIELD: All right, Ron Faucheux thanks very much. Good to see you.
FAUCHEUX: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
