Posted on 02/26/2006 3:21:01 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
Six years after battling her way to a Senate seat from her newly adopted state by campaigning night and day, Hillary Rodham Clinton is coasting toward re-election _ and piling up money that could go toward a run for the White House in 2008.
The New York Democrat has had no well-known GOP opponent in her bid for re-election since prosecutor Jeanine Pirro dropped out in frustration in December. The Republican expected to step in, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, is a no-name in most of the state, and polls show Clinton with a commanding lead against all potential challengers.
At the end of 2005, the former first lady had $17 million in her campaign account and was working hard to expand her national base of contributors. Spencer had just $243,000.
"She's raising money she won't even need" for her state race, said former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, a New York Republican powerbroker.
Leftover money could be used for a presidential campaign in 2008 if she runs.
The difference between Clinton's 2000 campaign and her re-election bid is striking.
Six years ago, she crisscrossed the state in a remarkably energetic effort to convince voters in the vast Republican areas outside New York City that she would make a better senator than New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
Giuliani spent $17 million before leaving the race because of prostate cancer, and his successor, Rick Lazio, a congressman from Long Island, pumped an additional $40 million into the campaign. Ultimately, Clinton spent $41 million and won easily.
Today, she visits small pharmacies and talks about the problems with the Medicare drug plan. She lingers for autographs and photos. There is no real hurry.
For now at least, the Clinton campaign is largely ignoring Spencer. Earlier this month, when the Republican charged that Clinton's criticism of President Bush's conduct of the Iraq war "aids and abets our enemies," her advisers had no comment.
A year ago, New York's state GOP chairman sent out national fundraising letters warning that the 2006 Senate race was "not merely a race for New York. It's a race for America." To counter that, Clinton sent out letters warning that her 2006 opponents "will raise and spend hundreds of millions of dollars against me."
But that has not happened. Pirro and other Republican hopefuls and activists have struggled to raise money.
"New York is not on our radar screen," said William Black, an operative with the anti-Clinton "Stop Her Now" effort, which was launched a year ago and had raised less than $25,000 as of the end of 2005. "It's really not much of a race."
President Nixon's son-in-law Edward Cox, a New York lawyer who briefly pursued the GOP Senate nomination, said contributors had a "very knee-jerk" reaction to Clinton in 2000, but their attitude this time is "What have you got to offer against her?"
"The dislike is still there, but the people out there were disappointed once," Cox explained.
D'Amato offered another theory: "A great deal of the hostility toward her has abated."
In Spencer, vocally anti-abortion and a staunch supporter of the president, Clinton has the perfect foil if she is looking toward the White House in 2008, according to one Democratic strategist.
"Because he's so conservative, it allows her to stay in the middle," said Hank Sheinkopf, who worked on President Clinton's 1996 campaign. "Effectively, he shows up and she becomes a centrist. She couldn't have asked for someone better."
Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson would not discuss 2006 campaign strategy, the possible benefits from not having a tough Senate race or the potential effect on 2008.
"We're not taking anything for granted," he said. "Senator Clinton is going to continue to focus on being the best senator that she can and making a strong case for her re-election."
I thought she was ".... sick and tired....".
there, that looks better..
She's not fooling anyone.
So does Spencer have a chance? I was hoping Rudy would run again for Senate against her!
I think the party is making the correct strategic move as far as not permitting a strong candidate to oppose her in November.
She is a walk in anyhow, let her screw her constituents and win the rat nomination.
And polarize the Republic.
what is wrong with New York?
It's full of New Yorkers!
Not only is NY not ready to turn her out, we here on FR are surrounded by those telling us she will not run in 2008.
Hillary Clinton is perhaps the scariest prey upon my livelihood, I feel. She must be stopped.
what is wrong with New York?
n.j. ct. ma. r.i. n.h. vt. me.
"Not only is NY not ready to turn her out, we here on FR are surrounded by those telling us she will not run in 2008."
I appreciate your level-headedness. It gives me relief from the anxiety I feel when I think the woman could win the presidency.
We might want Hillary to win the nomination because she might be the easiest to beat. We might not want Hillary to win the nomination because she might win the presidency and she would be the last person we want to see in it. Sort of a double or nothing gamble here.
I've been looking for a copy of that for the longest time...
Does it get pulled when it's posted here?
Get ready for President Hillary Clinton in January, 2009. The left wing mainstream media will pull out all the stops for her. Who do we have that can even make it a close race? Be afraid. Start planning for her reign of terror.
I don't know. I just found it somewhere the other day.
Bush, clinton Bush, clinton
The left wing mainstream media will pull out all the stops for her.
They pulled out all the stops for Kerry too and look what happened to him.
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