A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R) is riding a wave of national opinion polls that show him leading Vice President Gore (D) in this fall's presidential race. These polls may help peripheral voters keep tabs on the election. However, national samples are not the best predictors of the eventual outcome because they do not reflect the voting preferences of individual states – the arbitrators of the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the White House.

"If you can listen to all the words, it talks about playing in bars and the girls who fall in love with the boys in the band. That ain't what you want kids learning about in the classroom." Alabama state Rep. Bob McKee (R), on the country song "My Home's in Alabama," which failed to win legislative approval as the official state ballad. (The Birmingham News, May 16)

• Polls Not Crucial for Presidency
(Los Angeles Times, May 19)
• Elections 2000: White House
• Post Polls: Elections and Politics

Minnesota Sen. Grams: He's Got Mail
Frankly speaking, Sen. Rod Grams (R-Minn.) likes mass mailings. In the first quarter of 2000, Grams sent more than 70,000 pieces of mail to Minnesotans, making the fiscal conservative the most prolific user of the congressional franking privilege.
• Grams Leads Senate in Use of Mass Mailings
(Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn., May 17)

Political Conventions Provide Protest
Platform, if Not Actually a Reason
Anti-globalization protesters have targeted this summer's national political conventions as the next opportunity to raise awareness for their cause. Exactly how that cause is relevant to the conventions, however, is still a minor detail the activists are working out.
• With Conventions in Mind, Protesters Hunt for Theme
(Philadelphia Inquirer, May 16)

While the Los Angeles Police Department has been working for more than a year to prepare for anticipated protests at the Democratic National Convention in August, California Gov. Gray Davis (D) wants $4.1 million in extra state funds to ramp up security staff and equipment.
• $4.1 million Asked for Convention Cops
(San Francisco Examiner, May 17)

Early Returns Week in Review
Monday: Arizona Gov. Jane Hull agrees to let Sen. John McCain's wife, Cindy, lead the state GOP delegation to this summer's Republican National Convention; New Jersey Democrats battle for Senate nomination; What happens to Rudolph Giuliani's $19 million war chest if he doesn't run for Senate?
• Happy at Home, McCain Is Miffed in Michigan (May 15)

Tuesday: Giuliani keeps New York GOP guessing, but says he's "very much inclined" to stay in the Senate race; Some Oregon voters are skeptical ballot collection methods for mail-in primary; Texas Gov. George W. Bush says he can beat Vice President Gore in Gore's homestate of Tennessee.
• Giuliani Says He's Leaning Toward Senate Race (May 16)

Wednesday: First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton gets the New York Democratic Party's official Senate nomination at their state convention, but the party's would-be governors supply political flair; Oregon voters reject legislative measures; Tennessee lawmaker pushes unicameral legislature as movement fails in Minnesota.
• Gubernatorial Hopefuls Work the Convention Crowd (May 17)

Thursday: California Gov. Gray Davis encounters criticism from all sides for his plan to exempt public school teachers from state income tax, while the ACLU files suit against the state for inequal educational opportunities; New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen says she'll seek a third term as the list of her GOP opponents grows.
• Teacher Tax Plan Fails to Win Support in California (May 18)

Friday: Shaheen says she will veto the New Hampshire Senate's measure to repeal the death penalty; South Carolina lawmakers pass final plan to remove the Confederate flag from atop the Statehouse, but NAACP leaders are not satisfied; Indiana Democrats hope to give popular Sen. Richard Lugar a tough campaign.
• L.A. Convention Digs Irk Texas Democrats (May 19)