Buchanan Raising Reform Party Profile

With the suspense suddenly gone from the Republican and Democratic fights, conservative columnist Patrick J. Buchanan will be pushing for a wider audience for his campaign for the Reform Party’s presidential nomination.

Buchanan’s plans include a live interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and an early-morning appearance Monday on the same network’s “Today” show, according to his schedule. On Thursday he speaks at Harvard University.

“We are just starting spring training,” Buchanan told Maryland supporters last week, although he left the Republican Party months ago and announced he would seek the Reform nomination.

Buchanan believes there is a void that he can fill now that the major parties’ challengers who were seen as reformers, Republican John McCain and Democrat Bill Bradley, have given up their nomination challenges.

He also hopes that Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush, tired from the fierce primary battles, will ease back on campaigning and spending --and that the campaign press corps will look to him for a horse race.

In an effort to appeal to more Reform Party members, Buchanan is likely to soften the rhetoric that led critics to brand his views extremist in two past presidential campaigns, especially on social issues.

After the media appearances early this week, Buchanan pivots to fund-raising and book signing for the rest of the week, according to his schedule.

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On the Net: Buchanan site: https:// www.buchananreform.com.

Reform Party site: https://www.reformparty.org.