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By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Tuesday, June 30, 1998

Former state Sen. Rick Dantzler is scheduled to announce today that he is dropping out of the contentious Democratic gubernatorial primary in Florida to run as Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay's running mate.

"It looks to me like we held Karla Faye Tucker to one set of standards and Henry Lee Lucas to another set of standards." – Gubernatorial candidate Garry Mauro (D-Tex.), who said after the Tucker execution that he would not politicize "one of the toughest decisions [Bush] will make as governor." (Austin American-Statesman, June 30)

The announcement is a huge boost to MacKay, who will now face likely GOP nominee Jeb Bush for the governorship, and for deeply divided Florida Democrats, whose leaders had tried to recruit the publisher of the Miami Herald to run against the lieutenant governor in the Sept. 1 primary. The MacKay-Dantzler ticket will still have to reocver from the nasty barbs the pair have already traded on the campaign trail.

Rival May Team With MacKay (The Miami Herald, June 30)

Mauro Jabs Bush for Death Row Pardon
Down more than 50 percentage points in the latest poll, Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Garry Mauro criticized GOP Gov. George W. Bush Monday for commuting the death sentence of Henry Lee Lucas. In February, when Bush refused to stay the execution of Karla Faye Tucker, Mauro told the Austin American-Statesman, "There is only one person who can make this decision. Since it is a life-and-death situation, I don't want to be accused of trying to politicize one of the toughest decisions [Bush] will make as governor."
Mauro Hammers Bush for Sparing Lucas' Life (Austin American-Statesman, June 30)

Running in Michigan? Represent Kevorkian
Assisted-suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian has spawned a political movement in Michigan that doesn't involve life-and-death issues. Geoffrey Fieger, the most vocal of Kevorkian's lawyers, is a Democratic candidate for governor, and little-known former Kevorkian lawyer Michael Odette is a Democratic candidate for state Senate.
Attorney Drops Out of Kevorkian Team (The Detroit News, June 30)

Ind. Democrats Fighting to Remove One of Their Own from Ballot
Indiana voters nominated Democrat Bob Kern for the 6th District congressional seat and now his party is trying to get him thrown off the ballot. State Democrats say that Kern, a female impersonator and convicted felon, violated election law by not running under his legal name, Bobby Scott Hidalgo. The 6th District is currently represented by Republican Dan Burton.
Demos Seek Court Aid in Disqualifying Kern (The Star-News, Indianapolis, June 29)

Of Revolving Doors and Theater Turnstiles
Ronald Reagan, Fred Thompson, Sonny Bono: Actors have a history of finding second careers in elected office, but a former North Carolina candidate is moving the other way. After losing this year's Democratic Senate nomination, D.G. Martin has gone on to play a gynecologist in "Patch Adams," a Robin Williams movie filming in Chapel Hill.
He's Just Not a Leading Man (The Charlotte Observer, June 28)

Public Campaign Funds Headed for Ariz. Ballot
An initiative that would allow state candidates to qualify for public money to finance their campaigns appears to be headed for Arizona's November ballot.
Election Reform Likely on Ballot (The Arizona Republic, June 30)

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