A daily dose of online news from beyond the Beltway.

By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Wednesday, September 9, 1998

Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun sent a letter to columnist George F. Will Tuesday apologizing for likening the conservative commentator to a Ku Klux Klan member.

"We expected it would be like taking the hill on Iwo Jima – a 100-day battle. Instead, it was a lot less like Iwo Jima and a lot more like Valley Forge." – Rep. Rick White (R-Wash.) on the 1994 Republican congressional agenda. (Sacramento Bee, Sept. 8)

Will's Sunday column on the Illinois Senate race reviewed a series of allegations against Moseley-Braun and her past campaigns. On Monday, she fired back: "George Will can take his hood and go back wherever he came from."

The senator verbally apologized for the remark before sending her letter. She may face questions about Will's column in an online chat today with The Chicago Tribune.

Moseley-Braun Writes Apology (The Chicago Sun-Times, Sept. 9)
Race for U.S. Senate Cybercast (The Chicago Tribune, Sept. 9, 2 p.m. CDT)
George F. Will: Hope Comes to Illinois (The Washington Post, Sept. 6)

Movie Star Defies Night of Scripted Primary Results
Four states held primaries Tuesday and, with the exception of the 79-year-old dairy farmer who spent almost $200 to win the Vermont Republican Senate nomination, there were few surprises.

Newspapers from around the country wrote about Fred Tuttle, star of the campaign satire movie "Man With a Plan." He faces Democratic Sen. Patrick J. Leahy in November.
Tuttle coverage on 11 p.m. news (WCAX-TV, Burlington, Vt., Sept. 8)
Election returns (WCAX-TV, Burlington, Vt., Sept. 8)
Ex-Farmer Wins Sen. Primary in Vt. (USA Today, Sept. 9)
Vermont Vote Turns Fiction Into Fact (The New York Times, Sept. 9, registration required)
Farmer Wins Protest Vote in Vermont (washingtonpost.com, Sept. 9)
Elections Guide: Vermont (washingtonpost.com)

In Arizona, Gov. Jane D. Hull (R) easily won the nomination to face Democrat Paul Johnson. Sen. John McCain (R) and his Democratic challenger, Edward McDonald Ranger, were both unopposed.
Election '98 (The Arizona Republic, Sept. 9)
Elections Guide: Arizona (washingtonpost.com)

In the race to replace retiring Rep. Scott L. Klug (R) in Wisconsin's 2nd District, Tammy Baldwin won the Democratic nomination with 37 percent of the vote. She will face Republican Josephine Musser, who had 21 percent of the vote. Gov. Tommy Thompson (R) and Democratic challenger Ed Garvey easily defeated their opponents. Neither Sen. Russ Feingold nor his GOP rival, Rep. Mark W. Neumann, had primary contests.
Election '98 (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Sept. 9)
Elections Guide: Wisconsin (washingtonpost.com)

New Hampshire Republican Jay Lucas won a tight gubernatorial primary to face Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen.
Lucas Wins GOP Nod, Will Face Shaheen in November (The Union-Leader, Manchester, N.H., Sept. 9)
Elections Guide: New Hampshire (washingtonpost.com)

On Comeback Trail, Whitman Draws Attention to Abortion
The tidal fortunes of New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman may be rising again. On an eight-day national tour to help Republican candidates, the abortion-rights supporter stumped in California for abortion foe Dan Lungren's gubernatorial campaign. her stop in California indicates that she may be a powerful force in building a GOP coalition. Whitman, often criticized by members of her own party for supporting abortion rights, is stumping
Whitman's Mission of Mercy Could Revive Her National Hopes (The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J., Sept. 8)

While her California trip shows that Whitman could be a powerful force in building a GOP coalition, Tuesday's stop in Nevada was a reminder of why she's been such a controversial figure in GOP politics. Anti-abortion protestors picketed Whitman's appearance at a fund-raiser for Nevada gubernatorial candidate Kenny Guinn and Rep. John Ensign, a Senate candidate.
Abortion Foes Face New Jersey Governor at GOP Event in Reno (The Las Vegas Star-News, Sept. 9)

Florida Republicans and Democrats Plead for Everglades Money
Republicans and Democrats from Florida are pleading with Congress not to cut more than half of the money that the Clinton administration wants to spend on southern Florida environmental projects.
Congress May Cut Funding for Glades Restoration (The Miami Herald, Sept. 8)

Term Limits, Marijuana on Nevada Ballot
Nevada voters this November will determine whether to legalize medicinal marijuana and impose term limits on their federal representatives. The two topics have met with mixed electoral and judicial success in previous states where they have come up for a vote.
Marijuana Initiative to Be Question 9 on November Ballot (Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sept. 8)

Kansas Board Reins In Issue Ads
Kansas's Governmental Ethics Commission ruled Thursday that a new state law requires an anti-abortion group to disclose how much it spent on an independent advertising campaign that targeted Republican Gov. Bill Graves.
Ethics Law Applies to Ads, Agency Rules (The Wichita Eagle, Sept. 4)

GOP Sweep Could Oust Thousands of Texas Government Workers
With the likely prospect that Republicans could win every statewide office for the first time this year, thousands of politically appointed state government employees are wondering if they will have jobs come January.
State Workers Face Uncertain Future (Dallas Morning News, Sept. 8)

Texas Race Between Two Homosexuals Is State's First
Texas Republican state House candidate Fred Ebner says, "There are about as many agendas as there are gay people." As if to offer proof, Ebner's Democratic opponent, incumbent Glen Maxey, is also gay. Political observers say the race between two homosexuals is a first in Texas.
Openly Gay Candidates' Matchup a First in Texas (Dallas Morning News, Sept. 8)

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