A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Thursday, May 6, 1999

Following last week's approval of the nation's first statewide school voucher program in Florida, Republican governors are placing the issue at the top of their agendas. In the last two days, Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes has also put out two press releases touting his support for vouchers.

"It's not over 'til the Fat Lady sings – with all respect to fat and ladies." – Mob attorney Oscar Goodman, who is in a runoff for Las Vegas mayor. (Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 5)

• New Push Starts for Vouchers (The Advocate, Baton Rouge, May 6)
• Guv's Top Priority Again (Philadelphia Daily News, May 5)
• Johnson Announces Voucher Plan (The Albuquerque Journal, May 1)

Gorton May Get Another Senate Challenger
Slade Gorton, regarded as one of the most vulnerable Republican senators, received another potential challenge this week when Washington State University Regent Bill Marler said he was exploring a bid.
• Regent May run for U.S. Senate (Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Wash., May 5)

Quackenbush: California's Lonely GOP Leader
California insurance commissioner Chuck Quackenbush is just one of two Republicans to win statewide office this year, so his name has popped up as a possible challenger to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein next year. But Quackenbush is also learning that it's a tough time to be Republican in California. A Wall Street Journal editorial called the Golden State GOP "The Ostrich Party" Tuesday, and the Washington, D.C., newspaper The Hill reviewed their plight in this week's issue.
• Dan Walters: Quackenbush's Harsh Lesson (The Sacramento Bee, May 5)
• Disheartened California GOPers Bemoan Condition of Their Party (The Hill, Washington, D.C., May 5)
• The Ostrich Party (The Wall Street Journal, May 4, paid subscription required)

To make matters worse for Republicans, the Democratic speaker of the California Assembly offered the U.S. Census Bureau $30 million in state money to help the feds do a better job counting poor and minority Californians in the 2000 census. The result could boost the number of congressional seats from minority-dominated areas of the state.
• State May Offer U.S. $30 Million for Census (Los Angeles Times, May 5)

White House 2000: Mass. to Hold Straw Poll; Pa. Primary May Move
Despite opposition from local and national party leaders, Massachusetts Democrats are planning to hold the nation's first Democratic presidential straw poll at its May 15 state convention.
• State Democrats Ignore Criticism, Plan Presidential Poll (The Boston Globe, May 6)

A Pennsylvania Republican lawmaker has proposed moving the state's presidential primary to March 21, up from April 25. In 1996 Pennsylvania's primary was held after 78 percent of the Republican delegates had been selected. Because so many states have already moved their primaries forward, if Pennsylvania lawmakers move the primary up, it will still be after more than 75 percent of the delegates have been selected.
• Pa. Presidential Primary Would Be in March, Legislator Hopes (Pocono Record, Stroudsburg, Pa., May 5)

N.H. Governor Gets Battered Over School Funding
While recent polls show that the job approval ratings for New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) are anywhere between 41 and 64 percent, all polls show the numbers on the decline. Shaheen is certainly suffering politically from the recently resolved 16-month debacle over state education funding. She has also taken a hit from the state's largest newspapers for not taking leadership in the debate, and for not supporting a statewide income tax.
• 'City You Let Down' Sends Gov. Shaheen a Chilly Message (The Union Leader, Manchester, N.H., May 6)

In Alaska, where they also face a need to restructure the state revenue pie to make up for money lost by the state's collapsing oil industry, the Republican-controlled Senate rejected Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles's proposed income tax.
• Senate Kills Tax Effort (Anchorage Daily News, May 6)

Ryan Thornburg can be reached at ryan.thornburg@washingtonpost.com