A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Thursday, July 23, 1998

Florida state Sen. Daryl Jones (D) was so sure that he would be confirmed as the first black secretary of the Air Force that he had hardly focused on his reelection bid. But the Senate Armed Services Committee killed his nomination Wednesday and sent the up-and-coming Florida lawmaker back into the fray of state politics that has been dominated by racial tensions this year.

"Women [think], 'He gets it. He cares more about my kids than my husband does.'" – CNBC political commentator Chris Matthews, talking about Bill Clinton to the National Conference of State Legislatures. (Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 23)

Jones' Next Fight: Retaining Senate Seat (The Miami Herald, July 23)
Air Force Nominee Rejected (St. Petersburg Times, July 23)

California Lawmakers Approve Stopgap Spending Amid Budget Impasse
Because California lawmakers are 22 days late in approving a budget for the fiscal year which began July 1, Gov. Pete Wilson (R) and top legislators spent Wednesday hashing out a 14-day stopgap spending bill to keep the state government running.
Legislature OKs Stopgap Spending Bill (San Francisco Chronicle, July 23)

In Risky Move, N.C. Attorney General Sets Out Against Tobacco
North Carolina Attorney General Mike Easley (D) said in a letter to tobacco companies that he is prepared to sue them if necessary to recover state Medicaid costs. While 40 other attorneys general have already filed suit against cigarette makers, the move is a huge political risk for Easley. He is considered one of the front-runners for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in a state which has tobacco farm sales are more than $1 billion annually. To protect the industry, state lawmakers in 1995 passed a bill prohibiting North Carolina residents from filing a class-action suit against tobacco companies.
Easley Gives Tobacco Companies Ultimatum (The News & Observer, July 23)
Special Report: Tobacco (washingtonpost.com)

'The Body' Is Off the Air in Minnesota
Hours after officially entering the Minnesota gubernatorial race as the Reform Party nominee, former professional wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura was told to step down from his job as host of a highly rated radio talk show.
KFAN Pulls Gubernatorial Candidate Ventura Off the Air (The Star-Tribune, Minneapolis, July 23)

Minn. Governor Hopeful Makes Pitch for Cash in D.C.
Minnesota Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Freeman was in the Washington area on Tuesday for fund-raisers sponsored by some of his former classmates at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.
Mike Freeman Takes His Campaign for Governor to Washington (The Star-Tribune, Minnesota, July 23)
Community Resources: Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School (washingtonpost.com)

Wis. Governor May Have Most Lopsided Finance Advantage
The reelection campaign of Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) had $2.6 million on July 1. His Republican challenger in the Sept. 8 primary, Jeff Hyslop, had $83. Because the state charges $100 for a copy of campaign finance reports, Hyslop couldn't even afford to find out how far behind he was.
Thompson War Chest Holds $2.6 Million (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, July 22)

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