GOP Targets Party-Swapper

How much do Republicans want to unseat party-swapping Rep. Michael Forbes in 2000? Badly enough to take the unusual step of setting up a special fund in New York just to raise money to beat him.

Democrats, meanwhile, are lending their newest member a hand. House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt has asked members of his Democratic caucus to "make the maximum contribution possible" to Forbes' campaign.

"Michael's district is extremely competitive and this will be his toughest campaign ever," Gephardt wrote in a fund-raising letter to Democratic House members last week.

"I believe we have a responsibility to help him with a smooth political transition," Gephardt wrote.

Rep. Charles Rangel, a Harlem Democrat and dean of the New York delegation, sent out a similar letter on Forbes' behalf. Forbes had $224,241 cash on hand at the end of June, according to the most recent federal campaign filing. He expects to need upward of $1 million to be competitive in what is sure to be a bruising race that may be complicated by a Democratic primary.

Forbes, who voted for the GOP's Contract with America and opposes abortion, swapped parties in July, blaming Republican "extremists" running the House of Representatives. The move provided Democrats with a large psychological boost and cut the number of seats they need to regain the majority in the House to five.

But the desertion outraged Republicans, who have vowed to make Forbes' defeat a top priority. His district on the eastern tip of Long Island is heavily Republican, but is home to a large number of independents as well. Voters there supported Bill Clinton for president in 1996.

Sources with the National Republican Congressional Committee said that in the coming weeks a special fund would be set up in New York to gather several hundred thousand dollars for whomever emerges as the Republican candidate. NRCC Chairman Rep. Tom Davis, of Virginia, is expected to send out a fund raising letter in the coming weeks asking for donations to beat Forbes.

Freshman New York Reps. Tom Reynolds, of western New York, and John Sweeney, of Rensselaer County, are slated to spearhead the effort, the sources said. Both have both been successful at raising money for the NRCC.

"Mike Forbes has performed a disservice to his district and to New York state because he is ego-driven and starved for attention," Sweeney said. "I think he had better enjoy the little time he has left in his political career."

The Forbes camp said it has been inundated with contributions since he announced his intention to become a Democrat but did not have a tally on specifically how much money he had raised.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman John Del Cecato called the fund to defeat Forbes "a tyrannical tactic of a vindictive Republican party."

Several Democrats may challenge Forbes in a primary, including ony Bullock, chief of staff for retiring Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and the late-Rep. Bella Abzug's daughter, Liz.

On the Republican side, Suffolk County Clerk Edward Romaine is expected to announce his candidacy later this month. Others mentioned as possible GOP challengers are Brookhaven Town Supervisor Felix Grucci and Forbes' former chief of staff, Diana Weir.