Jeffords Turns Into Headliner for Democrats

Sen. James M. Jeffords of Vermont infuriated his Republican colleagues last spring by single-handedly giving Democrats control of the Senate with his defection from the Grand Old Party. Now he’s about to make them angry all over again.

In an effort to help Democrats keep or improve their one-seat edge in the Senate, Jeffords appears tonight as the headline speaker at a major Democratic fund-raiser. Perhaps more irksome to Republicans, his appearance at the $10,000-a-plate Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee dinner is a coming-out party--the start of a sustained effort by the Senate’s only independent to elect Democrats to the chamber.

Republicans admit that Jeffords gets under their skin but insist they are not worried about his role in the 2002 elections. “He’s just going to rile up our base,” said Dan Allen, press secretary to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “He’s been an obstructionist to [President Bush’s] agenda. People know who he is and what he did.”

Fund-Raiser Likened to One’s First Prom

Jeffords described his fund-raiser gig as “like going to the prom for the first time,” even as he admits his dealings with Democrats have not been entirely reciprocal. He expressed “great disappointment” that congressional Democratic leaders were unable to win a significant boost in federal funding for special education--his most cherished policy goal.

But he said he has no regrets that he made his change, arguing it is better to be aligned with a party that is willing to fight for causes he believes in than with one he thinks is not. And with the GOP in charge of the White House and the House of Representatives, Jeffords said, keeping the Senate Democratic is the only way to ensure “a more moderate balance of power in Washington.”

Democratic officials say ticket sales to tonight’s fund-raiser at Washington’s Union Station are “going through the roof.” Some contributors bought seats with no intention of attending, and the party expects to raise $6.1 million from the event.

Part of the attraction is the importance of the battle for the Senate. But Jeffords clearly is a strong draw; gratitude to him among Democrats runs deep.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), who would still be overseeing the Senate’s minority party if not for Jeffords’ jump, frequently ends his speeches by saying he’s sorry he has to leave, but he has to go mow Jeffords’ lawn.

The line gets a laugh, but it underscores how Jeffords reshaped the political landscape when he declared himself an independent.

Now Daschle is hoping Jeffords’ cachet will help fire up the Democratic faithful, translating into victories in November. Of the 34 Senate seats up this year, about 10 are considered competitive. These include races in Arkansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire and South Dakota.

Republicans shrug off Jeffords’ potential as a campaigner, saying they have a stronger card to play.

Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) said his party has “a wonderful chance to regain control of the Senate,” especially if Bush, as expected, actively stumps for GOP candidates.

“We haven’t had a president since Ronald Reagan who was so popular,” said Cochran.

But Daschle thinks Jeffords is an especially potent weapon for Democrats, a reminder that one person can make a difference in politics. In his recent speech to the California State Democratic Convention in Los Angeles, Daschle included Jeffords in the litany of politicians he singled out for praise. He termed Jeffords’ defection a decision “that changed the course of history.”

The remark sparked a roar of approval from his audience of party stalwarts.

Jeffords has attached one condition to his work for the Democrats: He will not campaign against any of his former GOP colleagues. (Commented Cochran: “That’s interesting, but I don’t know if there’s anything he can do to make Republican senators like him.”)

In a recent interview, Jeffords gave a hint of the message he plans to deliver on the stump once his schedule has been arranged.

“The president believes there is an urgency to drill for oil in the Alaskan wilderness. I don’t share his views,” Jeffords said. “The president does not believe we need to include carbon as a main pollutant as we move to stem the ill effects of greenhouse gases. I believe we must.”

He added: “You get the idea. That is why I will be speaking at the Democrats’ dinner.”

Lott Describes It as ‘a Coup of One’

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it may be difficult to recall why Jeffords’ decision so dominated the news. But at the time, it rocked Washington to its core.

Then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) called it “a coup of one.”

Other Republicans bemoaned the loss of committee chairmanships they had worked a lifetime to obtain. Jeffords’ son was so angry he threatened to name his first-born Reagan Nixon Jeffords. The senator was greeted by men wearing Benedict Arnold costumes. And there were death threats.

Jeffords, for his part, seems proudest of the independence his move showcased. In a speech in Palm Beach, Fla., earlier this month, he noted that Vermont was the first state to outlaw slavery and the first--months before Pearl Harbor--to declare war on Germany. “In many ways, my maverick spirit is a reflection of my home state,” he said.

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Times staff writer Don Frederick contributed to this report.