Back To The Battlegrounds
In the closest race for the White House in 40 years, Al Gore and George W. Bush have resumed their unrelenting battle for swing states after taking a short break to watch their running mates face off.
In the contest for battleground states, the rivals are focusing on specific regions using sophisticated media and campaign strategies that leave no stone unturned.
Gore went to Florida, while Bush campaigned in the Midwest, where experts believe the Nov. 7 election will be decided.
Vowing to "turn back the tide of drug abuse," Bush unveiled a $2.767 billion plan aimed at reversing "years of neglect" by the Clinton administration.
The Texas governor chose a community center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for what his campaign billed as a major policy address.
"We want a drug-free society for one great moral reason: over time, drugs rob men and women and children of their dignity and character," Bush told some 200 supporters at the Jane Boyd Family Resource Center. "They are the enemies of innocence and ambition and hope."
Bush stressed that he would exert "presidential leadership" to "marshal resources at every level - starting with parents, schools and communities closest to the needs of young Americans - to turn back the tide of drug abuse."
Later Friday, at a rally in southern Illinois, Bush continued to press his drug plan and said he was looking forward to the second presidential debate and spelling out differences with "Big Al." His campaign then moves on to Florida, where his brother Jeb is the popular governor. Still, Bush's presence in the Sunshine State, with its 25 electoral votes, is not locked up for the Republicans.
Gore, meanwhile, was in south Florida, where he touted a plan to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. He also proposed tax incentives to spur retirement savings.
Appearing with running mate Joe Lieberman at a rally in Orlando, Gore warned that Bush's proposals would drain Social Security while the Democratic ticket would offer seniors "a secure and dignified retirement."
"The choice is yours," Gore told 3,000 cheering backers. "Prosperity itself is on the ballot this year."
Gore's Medicare and tax incentive plan is likely to resonate with the heavy population of seniors living in central Florida. The state has become unexpectedly competitive.
Gore used the same tactic earlier this week in Ohio and Michigan.
"When you travel to an area in a particular state, you want to hit the bull's-eye, you want to talk about an issue that's particularly important to the people in that particular region of the state," said aGore campaign strategist.
In Florida, Gore was targeting the "I-4 Corridor," named after the interstate that stretches across central Florida from Tampa, through Orlando, and to the Atlantic Coast.
Both campaigns rushed to capitalize on debate performances by thir vice presidential nominees that were being widely praised for their substance and lack of rancor, reports CBS News Chief White House Correspondent John Roberts.
The Gore campaign declared Lieberman the conquering hero in Thursday night's so called Thrill in the 'Ville.
"That was a clear win if I ever saw one," said Gore. But snap polls and an energized Bush gave the edge to Dick Cheney.
"Americans saw last night who, if need be, could be president of the United States," said Bush.
Most polls have show Gore leading the race by a slim margin. However, the latest Reuters/MSNBC tracking poll put the vice president five points ahead of Bush, 46 to 41 percent.
Bush and Gore meet next Wednesday in North Carolina for the second of three scheduled debates.