A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Tuesday, June 23, 1998

Who says absence makes the heart go yonder? Former Democratic senator Bill Bradley, out of office for a year and a half, is the most popular New Jersey politician of the last two decades, according to a new statewide Eagleton Poll.

"I don't know anybody who does it for the money. You do it for the good of the country or the good of the community." – Ed Layden, a 14-year veteran poll worker who will be at his post today in the Whitehall precinct of Lexington County, S.C. (The State, Columbia, S.C., June 23.)

Like Bradley, Republican New York Gov. George Pataki may have his eye on the White House in 2000. But another leading New York Republican already plans back Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 2000. Rep. Gerald Solomon (R-N.Y.) said Pataki would make a great presidential nominee, but he wouldn't get the nod because the GOP's power has shifted to western states.

Bradley Is Most Popular N.J. Politician, Poll Finds (The Record, Bergen, N.J.,, June 22)
No Way Pataki Will Be Prez: Upstate GOPer (New York Post, June 23)
The Eagleton Poll (Rutgers University)
White House 2000 (washingtonpost.com)

Tobacco: An Issue in Illinois
Democrats said they were going to make tobacco a campaign issue and their gubernatorial nominee in Illinois is not wasting any time. On Monday, Glenn Poshard called teenage smoking "an imperative state issue" and criticized the influence of "special interest" money on the congressional tobacco debate. A spokesman for GOP gubernatorial nominee George Ryan called Poshard's anti-smoking plans "very thin."
Poshard Pledges to Fight Tobacco (Chicago Sun-Times, June 23)
Special Report: Tobacco (washingtonpost.com)

GOP Fund-Raising Charges Get a Hearing in Washington State
While the Democratic National Committee is suffering allegations of campaign finance abuse inside the Beltway, Washington state officials open hearings today on charges that the Republican Party illegally spent nearly $200,000 in the 1996 elections there. The GOP previously agreed to pay fines in connection with some of the charges, but Democrats say that isn't enough. Republicans gained narrow control of the state Senate in 1996, and Democrats say the illegal spending affected the lawmaking process for the last two years.
Did GOP Illegally Take Control of Legislature? (The Seattle Times, June 22)
Special Report: Campaign Finance (washingtonpost.com)

Texas Candidates Continue D.C. Fund-Raising
Days after Texas Gov. George W. Bush Jr. (R) came to Washington to raise $1 million for his re-election campaign, Democratic challenger Garry Mauro is in town with more modest goals. Mauro hopes to raise $400,000 at an event with President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton today at Washington's Sheraton Carlton Hotel. On Thursday, Vice President Gore will appear with Mauro in El Paso, Tex.
Mauro Turns to Clintons for Fund Raising (The Dallas Morning News, June 23)

In Mass., 'Louise's Law' Has Been Au Paired Down
The former sponsor of a Massachusetts bill aimed at preventing a repeat of the Louise Woodward case said the legislation has lost its teeth under pressure from au pair placement agencies. In November, a state judge released the British-born Woodward after she served 279 days for killing an 8-month-old child in her care.
Au Pair Bill Advances, but Sponsor Scoffs (The Boston Globe, June 23)

Nevada Marijuana Initiative Nine Days From Ballot
Nevada election officials today begin the nine-day process of verifying signatures on petitions to place a medicinal marijuana initiative on the state's November ballot.
Marijuana Ballot Initiative Verification to Begin Today (Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 23)

Judges Approve N.C. Districts; Elections Set for September
A three-judge federal panel Monday approved a congressional redistricting plan drawn up by North Carolina state legislators. The state's congressional primaries, originally slated for May 5, were rescheduled for Sept. 15 so lawmakers could redraw election maps after the judicial panel said district boundaries were illegally based on racial makeup.
Judges OK Latest Redistricting Map (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C., June 23)

Votes Today in South Carolina, New Mexico, Utah
Low turnout is expected today in Utah, where voters will go to the polls primarily to decide which Republicans will represent them in state and federal offices. Party leaders are closely watching a tight special election in New Mexico's 1st Congressional District to get an idea of whether Democrats can retake the House in November. And Republican voters in South Carolina's 4th District attend to unfinished business to as they cast ballots in today's runoff.
Apathy Will Rule While a Few Voters Pick Their Rulers (The Salt Lake Tribune, June 23)
It's All Over But the Voting (The Albuquerque Journal, June 22)
Voters Finalize Candidates (The State, Columbia, S.C., June 23)

A Week Before Runoff, Ala. Governor Loses Political Case
The U.S. Supreme Court handed Alabama Gov. Fob James (R) a political blow Monday when it refused to overturn a lower court's decision that declared unconstitutional an Alabama law permitting forms of school prayer. James, who faces a runoff with GOP challenger Winton Blount next Tuesday, has been an impassioned critic of the judicial rulings.
Alabama Governor Loses Round in School-Prayer Fight (The Huntsville Times, June 23)
Conservative Christians, Rural Voters Runoff Targets (The Birmingham News, June 23)

Colo., Mass. Candidates Counter Reports of Their Demise
The Colorado secretary of state ruled Monday that Senate President Tom Norton, a Republican candidate for governor, did not collect enough petition signatures to be placed on the Aug. 11 primary ballot. Norton, locked in a tough battle with conservative GOP state Treasurer Bill Owens, said he would appeal the ruling.
Norton Out of the Running? (The Denver Post, June 23)

In Massachusetts, former ambassador and Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Brian Donnelly is launching a $45,000 radio ad campaign this week in hopes of putting to rest the perception that he is not a viable candidate.
Donnelly's Message: I'm in Race All the Way (The Boston Globe, June 23)

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