GOP Govs Huddle In New Orleans

Buoyed by President Bush's re-election and a political map with coast-to-coast Republican leaders, GOP governors gathered Thursday to cheer their electoral fortunes and discuss solving familiar fiscal problems at home.

"We can now travel from the East Coast to the West Coast without leaving Republican territory," said Gov. Bob Taft of Ohio, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, noting that 65 percent of Americans now have a Republican as the chief executive of their state.

The Republicans entered their annual meeting with a 28-21 advantage in governships over Democrats.

One state, Washington, is still in play: There, Republican Dino Rossi finished 261 votes ahead of Democrat Christine Gregoire out of 2.8 million ballots cast, triggering an automatic recount. If Rossi hangs on, it will mean a net gain for the GOP of one seat.

Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi, who faces a budget gap of over $600 million by some estimates, said the president's re-election will give him a boost back home in that "he's much more inclined to give the states more authority, and allow the governors flexibility."

"It gives us a great partner," he said.

Bush-Cheney campaign manager Ken Mehlman got a standing ovation from the governors after describing how the president won - by focusing on what Mehlman called "cultural issues," expanding the pool of evangelical voters, and increasing conservatives as a percentage of the electorate.

"Cultural issues increasingly become more important for us," said Mehlman, a likely candidate to be the next Republican National Committee chairman.

He also spoke of a new emphasis on economic data specific to voters.

"We did what Visa does: We acquired a lot of consumer data. Based on that, we acquired a model based not on where they live, but how they live. If you drive a Volvo and do yoga, you vote Democrat," he said. "If you drive a Lincoln and own a gun, you vote for George W. Bush."

Later, discussion turned to the problems of running a state.

"The election is over now," said Gov. Mike Rounds of South Dakota. "America expects Democrats and Republicans to get things done, practical things."

Indeed, states have made cuts totaling some $1.4 billion in the 2004-05 fiscal year, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers, and many states are still on shaky ground after several years of deficits.

"We're relieved the election is over," Gov. Kenny Guinn of Nevada, the RGA'a vice chairman, said in an interview. "There's no time to gloat over it, because all of us as states have issues to deal with. We're looking at cuts or raising taxes, and that's the last thing any of us want to do."

Only 21 Republican governors attended the meeting with some of the GOP's biggest stars missing: Jeb Bush of Florida, Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and George Pataki of New York. Corporate lobbyists and executives from the RGA's business sponsors - Pfizer, Chevron and UBS Financial among them - far outnumbered state chief executives.

By Adam Nossiter