Bush On Western Campaign Blitz
After a weekend of high-stakes diplomatic talks, President Bush returned to the campaign trail Monday and urged voters to "do your job as an American" and take part in the Nov. 5 elections.
"In order to be a good American, in my judgment, you've got to exercise your right," the president said while campaigning for New Mexico Republicans. "You've got to go to the polls in order to do your job as an American."
With control of Congress and three dozen statehouses at stake, Mr. Bush put his partisan spin on the right to vote. "You owe it to our society. Of course, I've got a few suggestions for you when you go to the polls.'"
Former Rep. Matt Salmon and Democratic Attorney General Janet Napolitano are in a competitive race for governor of New Mexico. Also, Republican Rick Renzi is a slight favorite over Democrat George Cordova for new House seat here.
"Go to your house of worship, your community centers, your coffee shops and talk it up," the president told several thousand people who crammed an Arizona theater Sunday night.
He also said the Democrat crossover vote could be helpful. "Listen, a good Democrat knows the difference between a tax raiser and a tax cutter," the president added.
CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller, traveling with the president, reports that between now and Election Day, Mr. Bush will swing through some 17 states - in an effort to keep the house in Republican hands - and win back GOP control of the senate
Mr. Bush has been on the road since Thursday morning, starting with campaign stops in North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama.
In New Mexico, both Republicans and Democrats are spending heavily for an open GOP House seat in the southern part of the state, one of the hottest in the country. John Arthur Smith, a Democrat, is running against the GOP choice, Steve Pearce. Mr. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have both raised money for Pearce.
In the New Mexico governor's race, polls show Clinton administration alumnus Bill Richardson has an 18-point lead over Republican John Sanchez. Richardson resigned from Congress in 1997 to become ambassador to the United Nations and later secretary of the Energy Department.
Mr. Bush, making his fourth trip as president to New Mexico — a state he lost in 2000 by 366 votes to Al Gore — was addressing a Republican rally in Alamagordo.
In Denver later in the day, the president was speaking on behalf of Wayne Allard, the conservative senator struggling to hold off Democrat Tom Strickland in a rematch. Three minor party candidates complicate the race. Two polls this month showed the race a statistical tie.