A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 1998

Money – once called the "Mothers' Milk" of politics by former California state lawmaker Jesse Unruh – is flowing in Nevada, Minnesota and North Carolina. The anticipated Senate race between U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D) and U.S. Rep. John Ensign (R) is on track to surpass the $3.9-million record for political spending in Nevada. In Minnesota, Ted Mondale and Hubert Humphrey III, two sons of former vice presidents, are using their well-known family names to raise unusually large amounts of out-of-state cash. With support from nationally recognized politicians, U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth (R-N.C.) has raised four times as much the top two Democratic challengers for his seat combined.

"I guess these guys have gotten mad at Big Daddy." – Indiana state House Speaker John R. Greg (D), comparing a Republican walkout to the behavior of his kids. (Indianapolis Star-News, Feb. 3)

Reid, Ensign Set Record-Breaking Pace (Las Vegas Review Journal, Feb. 4)
Big-Name Sons Hit Out of State Donors (The Star-Tribune, Minneapolis, Feb. 4)
Lott to Give Faircloth a Valentine Treat (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C., Feb. 4)
Faircloth Quadruples Top Democratic Efforts (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C., Feb. 4)
Ky. Democrats In Black for First Time in Years (Lexington Herald-Leader, Feb. 4)
FEC Fines Former U.S. Senate Candidate (Las Vegas Review-Journal, Feb. 4)

Support for Clinton in States Mirrors National Polls
President Clinton yesterday visited New Mexicans, who "don't care about all that hype that's going on in Washington," as a business manager in an Albuquerque law office put it. Monica Lewinsky headed west, too. The former White House aide visited her father in California, where a statewide poll found that most folks don't care if the president lied about an alleged affair with her. A Wisconsin poll shows that two-thirds of the state's residents think Clinton is doing a good job.
Presidential Allegations Don't Bother N.M. Supporters (Albuquerque Journal, Feb. 3)
Truth Not an Issue for Californians, Poll Shows (San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 4)
Wisconsin Mirrors Nation in Clinton Approval (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 4)

Georgia Politicians Focus on Racial Issues
Republican state Rep. Bill Clark is refusing to apologize for writing a newspaper opinion piece that black lawmakers call racist. The controversy comes as the state Senate considers a bill to ban affirmative action programs in Cobb County.
Lawmaker Won't Apologize for Column (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Feb. 4)
Bill Sponsors Says He Was Hurt by Affirmative Action (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Feb. 4)