Bush Gets Early Iowa Start

George W. Bush got to know Iowa's campaign trail when he stumped for the state's leadoff precinct caucuses, and he has moved aggressively to strengthen those ties since taking office.

Strategists say Mr. Bush's courting of activists where the presidential nominating season begins is more than a pre-emptive strike against any challenges from fellow Republicans in 2004; it's also an effort to boost his standing in a state he narrowly lost to Democrat Al Gore last year.

With the electoral math virtually evenly divided, any edge is worth seeking, they argue.

Since taking office in January, Mr. Bush has traveled to Iowa three times and dispatched a string of Cabinet officers as surrogates.

Attorney General John Ashcroft drew a standing ovation from nearly 4,000 religious conservatives recently when he argued for "a special kind of freedom" based in religious faith and told of Mr. Bush opening Cabinet meetings with prayers.

White House political strategist Karl Rove is the headline speaker at a fund-raising dinner in Cedar Rapids later this month.

While there are no signs of a primary challenge on the horizon, Mr. Bush is taking no chances.

"To be successful in politics, you have to be able to anticipate something and make sure it doesn't happen," said former Iowa Republican Chairman Michael Mahaffey.

Current state GOP chairman Chuck Larson Jr. was one of the first to urge Mr. Bush to make the race, leading a delegation to Austin to see the then-Texas governor. He made it clear that any challengers would find only hostility in Iowa party circles.

"Iowa is a 25-foot firewall personally maintained by Chuck Larson," he said.

There's at least one reason why Mr. Bush would want to avoid a fight within the Republican Party. His father was hurt in 1992 by a candidate from the right — Pat Buchanan.

Critics have argued that competition in the primary season weakened the elder Mr. Bush and cleared the way for President Clinton to win the White House. Some suggested Mr. Bush didn't move quickly and aggessively to head off the challenge.

"The best remembered lessons are the ones that come closest to home," said GOP strategist Richard Schwarm.

There already are some signs that a fledgling campaign is taking shape. Potential Democratic candidates like Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley all have appeared in the state.

House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri reportedly plans a swing through Iowa this summer after visiting New Hampshire, the first primary state, not long ago.

"You can never start too early," said Goldford.

There's another good reason to pay close attention to Iowa, though it has only seven electoral votes.

"I think when you look at Iowa it is one of those states you could color gray," said Mahaffey. "I've got to think that when they look at 2004 they're thinking there are some states they are going to need to pick up if they don't want to go through what they did last year."

The narrowness of the race last year shows that even seven electoral votes can make a difference, he argued.

There are also other pressing political reasons for the administration to spend time in Iowa. Republican Rep. Greg Ganske has announced plans to challenge Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.

That Senate battle is likely to be one of the nation's hottest, and with Congress virtually evenly divided by party, Mr. Bush has a keen vested interest in every competitive Senate race.

By MIKE GLOVER
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