A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Friday, Feb. 27, 1998

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals candidate Murff Bledsoe tried his hand at a cybercampaign this week, sending a bulk e-mail he hoped would convince Texans to vote for him. Only one problem: He realized that his message reached not only Texans, but computer users in California, Georgia, Nevada, and Massachusetts.

Despite Bledsoe's misfiring, other Texas campaign consultants have said they are looking into the ability to send out massive amounts of campaign information at a fraction of the cost of a traditional mailing.

"He can't say the same thing about me. I'm the experienced white boy." – Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate George Ryan, after the only black candidate in the race called his primary opponents "unqualified white boys." (The Chicago Tribune, Feb. 27)

Politician Finds Bugs in E-Mail Campaigning (The Austin American-Statesman, Feb. 27)

Illinois Governor Candidate Apologizes
For Racial Remark
A day after saying he could find "no factual information" that he had called his gubernatorial opponents a bunch of "unqualified white boys," Illinois Democrat Roland Burris apologized Thursday for making the remark.

Burris is the only black candidate of the four Democrats seeking the governor's office. At a debate Thursday night, Burris's opponents mostly accepted his apology and said they hoped the campaigns could now concentrate on issues other than race.
Burris Apology Doesn't End Stir Over Race Remark (The Chicago Tribune, Feb. 27)
Burris Deflects Controversy (Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 27)

Race at Issue in Another Illinois Campaign
There is one Republican candidate in Illinois that state GOP leaders said they hope does not win. Arthur J. Jones, a U.S. House candidate in the 3rd District of Illinois, once served as a spokesman for a white supremacist group, the National Socialist White Peoples Party.

While the chances of a Jones victory are slim, Republicans are still concerned about him embarrassing the party. The front-running Republican is Robert Marshall, who is a little controversial himself. In Marshall's five unsuccessful runs at office since 1988, he has said Medicaid clients "aren't as poor as they say," proposed raising the legal blood-alcohol level because drunk driving is "grossly overblown and greatly exaggerated," and formed the now-defunct League of Men Voters.
GOP Sweating Over Candidate of White Rights (The Chicago Tribune, Feb. 27)
Republican Candidates for the 3rd Congressional District (The Chicago Tribune, Feb. 27)

Big Republican Weekend Slated for Biloxi
Southern Republicans are gathering this weekend in Biloxi, Miss., for what could be called the unofficial start of the 2000 presidential campaign season. Although the event will feature keynote addresses by congressional leaders and Southern governors, the highlight will be a straw poll among the party's potential presidential contenders.
Presidential Straw Poll and a Tribute to Women to Highlight GOP Meeting (Mobile Register, Feb. 27)
Online Extra: White House 2000 (washingtonpost.com)

Fretting Fob in Alabama
With five weeks left before the filing deadline, Alabama Gov. Fob James (R) has yet to register for reelection. That has Republican Party leaders worried. They have told James that registering for reelection would help ease the mind of some donors, but the governor has not budged. James may not file until the last possible minute, as he did in 1994.
GOP Chairman Pushing James to Qualify – Now (The Birmingham News, Feb. 27)

Colorado Race to Replace Schaefer Gets More Crowded
Republican Tom Tancredo resigned as president of the conservative Independence Institute on Thursday as he contemplates a run for 6th District seat left empty by the upcoming retirement of Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Schaefer. Tancredo is the seventh Republican to seriously consider a bid.
Tancredo May Resign, Run for Congress (The Denver Post, Feb. 27)
Conservative Group Leader Tancredo Joins Crowd Seeking 6th District Seat (Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Feb. 27)