Politics

Klink To Challenge Santorum

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

April 4, 2000 / 3:12 PM EDT / CBS

Rep. Ron Klink won a six-way race Tuesday for the Democratic nomination to challenge freshman Republican Sen. Rick Santorum.

With 99 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday, Klink received 41 percent, or 297,024 votes. State Sen. Allyson Schwartz of Philadelphia received 26 percent, or 190,966 votes, and former state labor chief Tom Foley, had 25 percent, or 182,455 votes. Three other lesser-known candidates split the rest.

Klink, 48, is well known in the western part of the state because of his four terms in Congress and his years as a news anchor on a Pittsburgh TV station.

Santorum had no competition for the Republican nomination.

Klink, Foley and Schwartz largely refrained from attacking each other, choosing instead to take shots at Santorum, a key player on welfare reform and the effort to ban what abortion foes call "partial birth abortions."

But in the final week of the primary campaign, the candidates went after each another more sharply, with Schwartz criticizing Klink's anti-abortion views.

Santorum arrived in the Senate in 1995 as a conservative rebel after beating Democratic Sen. Harris Wofford, who won a special election to succeed the late Republican Sen. John Heinz. The last Democrat elected to a full term in the Senate was Joseph Clark in 1962.

Klink faces an uphill battle in November, at least insofar as money goes. Santorum raised $6 million through March 15 and had $3.3 million on hand. By contrast, Klink had raised $1.4 million overall and had $500,000 in the bank as of March 15. Part of the money he raised came from a $300,000 loan he made to himself after taking a second mortgage on his house.

Most of Pennsylvania's 21 House members faced little opposition in Tuesday's primary.

As for the state's presidential primary, with 99 percent of precincts reporting, Bush won the Republican side with 73 percent, or 470,637 votes, according to unofficial returns.

The remaining votes were shared by his former rivals. Sen. John McCain of Arizona had 23 percent, or 144,628 votes; publisher Steve Forbes had 3 percent, or 16,291 votes, and conservative activist Gary Bauer had 1 percent, or 8,983 votes.

On the Democratic side, with 99 percent of precincts reporting, Gore won with 74 percent, or 517,901 votes, according to unofficial results. Former rival Bill Bradley had 21 percent, or 145,481 votes, and perennial candidate Lyndon H. LaRouche 5 percent, or 32,191 votes.

In Wisconsin's Republican primary, with 96 percent of precincts reporting, Bush won with 69 percent, or 324,796 votes, according to unofficial returns. McCain had 18 percent, or 85,160 votes, and Alan Keyes, who is still running, pulled 10 percent, or 46,673 votes. Forbes had 1 percent, or 5,236 vote.

In the Democratic contest, with 96 percent of precincts reporting, Gore won with 89 percent, or 313,357 votes. Bradley had 9 percent, or 31,083 votes and LaRouche had 1 percent, or 3,58votes.

Turnout was heavily depressed in both states, with the major-party nominations locked up by Bush and Gore after March 7 Super Tuesday victories.