Washington Wrap

Dotty Lynch, Douglas Kiker, Steve Chaggaris, Clothilde Ewing, Sean Sharifi and Natasha Kuzovich of the CBS News Political Unit have the latest from the nation's capital.

A Vote for Davis is a Vote for Dean: Howard Dean e-mailed his "50,000 California" supporters on Sunday urging them to vote no on the recall and make the difference in a race that "will be decided by a razor-thin margin," according to a release put out by his campaign. He tells them that having a Republican governor in California will make it much harder for a Democrat to win the state in 2004. Dean was the first of many Democratic Presidential candidates to campaign for Davis.

A memo reported in Monday's Roll Call should warm the hearts of those Dean supporters. Republican pollsters Bob Moore and Hans Kaiser warn Republicans not to take Dean lightly. They sent out a memo in response to a column by David Brooks who interviewed eight Republican pollsters all of whom said Dean would be the easiest Democrat to beat because of his fervent anti-war stand and his small state background. They called that the conventional wisdom which is "misguided" and "counterproductive."

"The difference between Dean and the rest of the Democratic candidates is that he comes across as a true believer to the base but will not appear threatening to folks in the middle. Another Republican pollster agreed. "Part of his appeal appears to be more stylistic than substantive. There's an element of plainspoken Ross Perot style about him.

Nonetheless, many Republicans are still dreaming of Dean. "Dean's my man. I'm a big Dean guy," said Florida Gov. Jeb Bush sarcastically last week. "I think being governor of a state that's got a budget half the size of Miami-Dade County makes him eminently qualified to be the Democratic candidate."

Better Than Expected: Just last week Wesley Clark's campaign was estimating he had raised $2 million over the first two weeks he was in the race. It turns out he pulled in $3.5 million, according to campaign spokeswoman Kym Spell.

Spell told CBS News that Clark's campaign will report that figure with the Federal Election Commission for the third quarter of this year, ending Sept. 30. Clark jumped into the Democratic presidential race on Sept. 17.

Clark's $3.5 million in 13 days was more than Sens. John Edwards ($2.5 to 3 million) and Bob Graham (under $2 million) had raised in the whole quarter, which began July 1. It's also just under the $4-$5 million raised in the same period by Rep. Dick Gephardt, Sen. Joseph Lieberman and Sen. John Kerry.

Clark spends Monday in Iowa at a couple of campaign stops and he'll also attend a "Hear It From the Heartland" forum in Fort Dodge, hosted by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, where he'll meet with caucus attendees. Harkin had said that he would end these forums with Joe Lieberman on September 21 but decided that Clark was worth a hearing. Traveling on the plane is Bill Buck, former DNC press secretary.

Edwards' Southern Strategy Could Be Paying Off: Sen. John Edwards is "emerging as the candidate to beat in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary," The Columbia (S.C.) State reports.

The paper reports that as Edwards continues to improve in the polls, the other nine Democrats "have faded or remain in neutral."

A recent American Research Group poll of likely Democratic voters found Edwards at 16 percent, followed by Joe Lieberman and Wesley Clark, both at 7 percent. Howard Dean had 6 percent. John Kerry, Dick Gephardt (who campaigns in South Carolina on Monday) and Al Sharpton are all at 5 percent. Bob Graham, Dennis Kucinich and Carol Moseley Braun "barely register," the State reports.

Forty-two percent of Palmetto State Democrats, however, remain undecided.

The latest poll supports the Edwards campaign's claims that the senator's starting to gain support in his native state. A Zogby poll taken in early September found Edwards leading the field – although only by one point over Howard Dean - at 10 percent. And, an internal Edwards campaign poll found him at 23 percent, followed by Clark at 13 percent.

All of this polling, of course, assumes there will actually be a Democratic primary in South Carolina. The State reports that the cash-strapped state Democratic Party continues to struggle with funding the Feb. 3 event and is considering trying to find corporate sponsors to help raise the $500,000 it needs to hold the party-run primary.

State Party Chairman Joe Erwin tells the paper that corporate sponsorships – including putting a company's name on the ballot – would be considered. "Some statewide corporation may want their company identified with democracy," the marketing executive said. "You do what you have to do as long as you do it legally and with integrity."

The state party has long struggled financially. Since taking over as chairman in May, Erwin has managed to raise about $220,000 in gifts and pledges, but most of that has been for payroll and rent.

If they manage to get a sponsor – and Erwin says he's already gotten some feelers – the state party promises it won't be too tacky. "Everything will be done in good taste," said Nu Wexler, the executive director.

Sen. Hillary Clinton will be in South Carolina on Monday raising money, unfortunately not for the state party. Former DNC Chairman Don Fowler – whose son, Don Jr., is running Wes Clark's campaign – is hosting a fund-raiser in Columbia for Clinton's Senate re-election campaign.

Louisiana's Gubernatorial Jambalaya: One thing was settled after Saturday's gubernatorial primary in Louisiana: the next governor will not be an old white male.

Republican Bobby Jindal, an Indian-American, will face Democratic Lt. Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco in the Nov. 15 runoff election to replace term-limited GOP Gov. Mike Foster. The runoff is necessary because neither candidate received 50 percent of the vote on Saturday.

Jindal easily topped the 17-candidate field with 33 percent of the vote. Blanco barely finished in second with 18 percent, edging out Attorney General Richard Ieyoub who received 17 percent. And although Jindal coasted to the top of the primary, it doesn't necessarily mean he'll have an easy time of it over the next six weeks.

"Jindal is a very impressive candidate and did a wonderful job in the primary, but he's not necessarily assured of a cakewalk in the runoff if Kathleen runs an intelligent campaign," political analyst Greg Rigamer told the Baton Rouge Advocate.

Jindal, the 32-year-old Rhodes Scholar, former state health secretary under Foster, and former Bush administration health care adviser, campaigned hard for the conservative vote by campaigning against gun control and affirmative action. That hard-right strategy propelled him to a primary win but now Jindal has to figure out how to siphon some of the remaining 57 percent that voted for the moderate Blanco and the other three top Democrats that ran in the primary.

Observers feel that turnout of the state's African-American voters, which make up 30 percent of the electorate, could decide this election. Most African-Americans voted for Blanco's Democratic competitors on Saturday and pollster Bernie Pinsonat told the New Orleans Times Picayune, "I don't see them rejecting her."

"The question is, will they be excited about her?"

Meantime, both candidates are receiving national attention, reports the Lafayette Advertiser. Jindal received a congratulatory telephone call from his former boss, President Bush, while Blanco got calls from Louisiana Sens. John Breaux and Mary Landrieu.

Political Calendar

Clinton to Iowa: Sen. Hillary Clinton has agreed to emcee Iowa's annual Jefferson Jackson Day dinner on Nov. 15. Although Clinton has been the center of speculation that she's going to throw her chapeau into the ring of 10 Democratic hopefuls, the Des Moines Register reports that her latest move puts to rest speculation that she's considering a White House run in 2004. "This is the ultimate statement she is not running," Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Gordon Fischer said. "Frankly, we wouldn't have her emcee if there were even a possibility she would become a candidate. That would be giving her a higher chair that the other candidates, which would be unfair." So far, all of the candidates save Al Sharpton have confirmed attendance. Incidentally, the Jefferson Jackson dinner comes just six days before candidates who wish to participate in the New Hampshire primary must file.

As for this week:

Monday 10/6:
President Bush meets with and then hosts a state dinner for President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya. Wesley Clark drops by Drake's Diner to greet customers in Des Moines and then participates in Sen. Harkin's Hear It From The Heartland series at Iowa Central Community College. Howard Dean did a meet the candidate event at Earl Borden Senior Center, then held a rally and voter registration event at Keene State College, before he finishes his "Generation Dean" tour with a rally at University of New Hampshire. Dean ends the day with two house parties, the first in Manchester and the second in Derry. John Edwards also campaigns in New Hampshire, did a meet and greet in Somersworth, held a town hall meeting at N.H. Community Technical College, holds a workplace town hall meeting at CCA Global Partners in Manchester, meets with area voters in Franklin, and finishes the day with a town hall meeting in Plymouth. Dick Gephardt in South Carolina, met with members of the Florence County Democratic Party, participated in meet and greets in Williamsburg and Buford/Jasper Counties and finishes the day with an economic roundtable in Fairfield County. John Kerry campaigns in Iowa, holds two activist events in Dunlap. Carol Moseley Braun attends the Georgia State Legislative Caucus in Macon, Georgia. No public events scheduled for Bob Graham or Joe Lieberman. Other: Sen. Hillary Clinton and Lesley Stahl participate in the Riley Institute's "Women & Politics: Transforming Public Leadership" conference at Furman University in Greenville, S.C.

Tuesday 10/7:
California recall election. President Bush meets with his cabinet. Clark speaks to the local transportation workers union in Tulsa, Okla. Dean campaigns in Somersworth and Concord, New Hampshire. Edwards campaigns in Jones County, Anamosa, Cedar Rapids and Tipton, Iowa. Bob Graham contemplates the rest of his campaign and attends a funder in Florida. Kerry campaigns in Sioux City, Le Mars, Cherokee and Sheldon, Iowa. Dennis Kucinich and Ralph Nader attend a Democracy Rising Rally in Washington.

Wednesday 10/8:
President Bush makes remarks on domestic violence and signs a proclamation for Domestic Violence Awareness week. Mr. Bush will also attend the 2003 Republican National Committee Presidential Gala at the Washington Hilton Hotel on Wednesday night. Edwards campaigns in Davenport, Fort Madison and Bloomfield, Iowa. Lieberman campaigns in Arizona, holds roundtable discussion at the Sutton School, speaks with veterans, seniors and local leaders before speaking to the Inter-tribal Council and the Interfaith Group in Phoenix. No public events scheduled for Dean or Clark.

Thursday 10/9:
President Bush travels to Pease, N.H. to meet with the Air National Guard and Army National Guard, then travels to Manchester to speak on the economy, before flying to Lexington, Kentucky, where he will headlines a fundraiser on behalf of Ernie Fletcher's gubernatorial race. Vice President Dick Cheney headlines a Bush/Cheney fundraiser in Oklahoma City. First lady Laura Bush headlines a Bush/Cheney fundraiser in New York City. All 10 candidates participate in the third DNC facilitated presidential debate in Phoenix, Ariz., hosted by Gov. Janet Napolitano and the Arizona Democratic Party. Edwards campaigns in Iowa in the morning and then travels to Phoenix.

Friday 10/10:
Edwards participates in the South Carolina NAACP "Carolina Roundtable". Gephardt campaigns in North Dakota. No public events scheduled for Dean. Commerce Secretary Don Evans headlines a Bush/Cheney fundraiser in Lubbock, Texas.

Quote of the Day: First lady Laura Bush received a poem from the president following her return from France. It read in part:

Roses are red/Violets are blue

Oh my, lump in the bed

How I've missed you

Roses are redder

Bluer am I

Seeing you kissed by that charming French guy.