Bush Visits Colorado in Bid to Boost Senator’s Chances

DENVER -- With the balance of power in Congress at stake in next week’s elections, President Bush came to Colorado on Monday to help one of his party’s most vulnerable incumbents, part of his all-out drive to reclaim the Senate for Republicans.

Bush’s stop here came three days after the death of Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.) threw an already-tense battle for the Senate into greater flux. Democrats in that state are expected to turn to former Vice President Walter F. Mondale as a replacement candidate in hopes of keeping the seat.

If the Democrats win in Minnesota, the race in Colorado would become all the more crucial for Republicans. They need a net gain of just one seat to capture the Senate, but the relatively small number of competitive races means a loss by any GOP incumbent would be a blow to achieving that goal.

Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), a low-profile freshman, faces a stiff challenge from Democrat Tom Strickland. Recent polls indicate the contest is a dead heat.

“For the sake of Colorado and the sake of the U.S. Senate, Wayne Allard needs to be sent back to the Senate,” Bush said as he stood in front of an F-102 fighter jet in a hangar-turned-aerospace museum on the outskirts of Denver. Bush flew an F-102 in the Texas National Guard, and officials deliberately chose it as his backdrop.

Referring to his ranch in Texas, Bush said, “Around Crawford, we kind of know the difference between a show horse and a work horse. With Wayne, you’ve got somebody who’s willing to work on your behalf.”

Two other GOP-held Senate seats are widely viewed as especially vulnerable. Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.), another freshman, has been trailing in the polls against Democrat Mark Pryor. And in New Hampshire, Republican Rep. John E. Sununu and Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen are locked in a too-close-to-call race for an open Senate seat.

A new political equation in the Senate was clearly on the president’s mind. At a get-out-the-vote rally earlier in the day in Alamogordo, N.M., Bush noted that if the Senate headcount swings in the GOP’s favor, New Mexico’s Pete V. Domenici would become chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Domenici is heavily favored to win reelection.

“I hope, if all goes right next Tuesday all around the country, we’re going to start calling him Mr. Chairman again, because we’re going to change the United States Senate,” Bush said.

The race between Allard and Strickland is a rematch of their 1996 contest. That year, Allard won with 51% of the vote to 46% for Strickland.

This time, Democrats say Strickland is in stronger shape.

He served as U.S. attorney during the second term of the Clinton administration, bolstering his law enforcement credentials. He is running in a state with high population growth, meaning many potential voters are likely unfamiliar with Allard.

Allard “has frankly been invisible,” contended Jim Jordan, executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

He also charged that the incumbent, who generally votes with his conservative party leadership, is “ideologically out of step with the state.”

Republicans have responded by seeking to define Strickland as too liberal for the Mountain West.

Dick Wadhams, Allard’s campaign manager, said Bush’s visit underscored that the incumbent would back the popular president if returned to the Senate. “Strickland would be a reliable vote against that agenda,” he said.

Bush plans to spend much of the next week campaigning for GOP candidates as Tuesday’s election approaches, focusing on places where a drop-in visit from the president might seal a margin of victory.

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Reynolds reported from Denver, Anderson from Washington.