Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Stakes high in Georgia runoff Date: Sat, 21 Nov 92 17:35:41 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION \HD Stakes high in Georgia runoff \BY Donald Lambro \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Republicans hope the bitter senatorial runoff in Georgia next week will give them a boost in filibuster power as well as throw some psychological mud on the Clinton mandate. If Republican Paul Coverdell defeats Democratic Sen. Wyche Fowler Jr. in their tight contest, the resulting GOP climb from 42 to 43 seats in the Senate could have considerable significance. "This is the second-most-important election held in 1992," said Sen. Phil Gramm, Texas Republican and chairman of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee. "It takes 41 votes to stop a bill from passing the Senate," Mr. Gramm added. "If we win Georgia, we'll have 43, so that would raise our margin of safety by 100 percent." As a result, he said, the outcome could determine whether the nation experiences a middle-class tax increase, D.C. statehood, taxpayer funding of elections, approval of homosexuals in the military or "a massive wave of new spending." It takes 60 votes to limit debate in the Senate, and another seat would give Republicans greater assurance of putting together the 41 votes needed to kill Clinton administration bills by Senate filibuster. While Democrats and some independent analysts reject the idea that his mandate could be affected, GOP strategists say a Republican victory would deal a blow to President-elect Bill Clinton. "If the Democrats lose this seat, it would be interpreted as a weakening of a mandate that had very little strength to begin with," said a senior official at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Mr. Fowler is a liberal with a reputation for close races. Mr. Coverdell is a conservative businessman, once regarded as a weak candidate. The runoff is required because neither won a majority on Nov. 3. Mr. Fowler got 49 percent of the vote to Mr. Coverdell's 48 percent, and 3 percent went to a Libertarian candidate who has since endorsed Mr. Coverdell. "If you look at all the measurements, then Coverdell has a small edge," said Stuart Rothenberg, an independent analyst who closely follows House and Senate races. "If the Libertarian and [Ross] Perot voters turn out, then it's more likely that Coverdell will win and win convincingly. Those are people who have already rejected Fowler." "It's too close to call, but Coverdell has the momentum because he stopped Fowler in the election when almost everybody expected Fowler to win," said Merle Black, a political science professor at Emory University in Atlanta. Signaling the importance he attaches to the race, Mr. Clinton sent Vice President-elect Albert Gore to campaign for Mr. Fowler on Wednesday. The president-elect is expected in Georgia on Monday. Meantime, both candidates and their parties poured big money into the race for a final round of television ads. Mr. Coverdell, who GOP sources say raised more than $1 million in the past two weeks, has saturated the airwaves with attacks on Mr. Fowler for voting himself a pay raise and supporting the 1990 budget deal that raised taxes. Mr. Fowler is courting the black vote, which is essential for his re-election. A Fowler mailing this week accused Mr. Coverdell of having been involved in a purge of black voter lists, a charge the GOP candidate denies. Both sides conceded yesterday that the race would hinge entirely on turnout and who gets more of their voters to the polls, always a difficult task in a special election. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM