Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!enterpoop.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: GOP's Coverdell ousts Sen. Fowler in Georgia Date: Wed, 25 Nov 92 16:20:05 EST Message-ID: Lines: 117 \SE A \HD GOP's Coverdell ousts Sen. Fowler in Georgia \SH Clinton staked prestige on vote \BY Major Garrett \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Republican challenger Paul Coverdell ousted freshman Sen. Wyche Fowler Jr. in Georgia's runoff election yesterday, dealing an early blow to President-elect Bill Clinton and providing a tonic to his dispirited party. The photo finish was a significant victory for the Republicans, who stumped the state hard in the closing days of the race. The startling outcome ended Democratic hopes of widening their margin in the new Senate, leaving them with a 57-43 margin at best. Mr. Coverdell, 53, attributed his victory to voters "who stepped forward in this election season and said, 'We want change, we want common sense, we want someone in Washington who came from the workplace.' " Mr. Coverdell, a moderate Republican, built a sizable lead on the strength of support in suburban Atlanta and north Georgia and withstood a late surge by Mr. Fowler in Democratic strongholds of Atlanta and nearby De Kalb County. It was the first test of Mr. Clinton's political clout, and he came up short. The president-elect made politically risky election-eve stops in Albany and Macon and told voters he needed Mr. Fowler to win passage of his programs in Congress. Vice President-elect Al Gore made two appearances, and former President Jimmy Carter, a former Georgia governor, also campaigned on the senator's behalf. Mr. Coverdell, the director of the Peace Corps from 1989 to 1991, countered that he was the true candidate of change since Mr. Fowler had been in the House for 10 years and in the Senate for six. He accused the senator of talking like a moderate and voting like a liberal in Washington and appeared to benefit from the backing of former supporters of independent presidential candidate Ross Perot. The race seesawed all night and Mr. Coverdell, a Georgia state senator for 19 years, was declared the winner by the Associated Press only after 99 percent of the precinct results had been tabulated. Mr. Coverdell had 620,779 votes, or 51 percent, and Mr. Fowler had 607,757 votes, or 49 percent. The victory marks an amazing turnabout for a candidate who trailed 56 percent to 32 percent in one statewide poll published less than a month before the Nov. 3 general election. But the challenger staged a stunning comeback and raised well over $1 million to wage his runoff campaign, which became the first test of Mr. Clinton's political strength in the South. As the lead switched back and forth all evening, votes piled up from each candidate's base of support: Mr. Coverdell's in north Georgia and the Atlanta suburbs, Mr. Fowler's in south Georgia and Atlanta. Earlier, Mr. Coverdell was cheered early by victories in four southeastern counties he lost to Mr. Fowler in the general election, and it signaled a long evening for the 52-year-old Mr. Fowler. "I'm tired of campaigning," Mr. Fowler said as the votes were still being tallied. "I just want to get back to work." Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas and Texas Republican Sen. Phil Gramm stumped yesterday for Mr. Coverdell. Earlier, first lady Barbara Bush campaigned for Mr. Coverdell. Mr. Clinton won Georgia by 16,085 votes, or 1 percentage point, over President Bush. The defeat, which at least partially touched Mr. Clinton, may be seen as a rejection of his appeal for more Democrats in Congress. Republicans may also view it as a signal that their problems on Election Day may have been an unpopular president, not an unpopular message. Mr. Clinton said Monday that he needed Mr. Fowler to "break this gridlock in Washington." Only last week the new president and the Democratic leaders in Congress announced that gridlock already had been conquered. Therefore, the race appeared to have more to do with the amount of leverage Mr. Clinton will have in the Senate. The Democrats hold a 56-43 majority in elections decided this year. The Democrats are expected to win a Dec. 4 special election in North Dakota, where retired Sen. Kent Conrad holds a formidable lead over state Rep. Jack Dalrymple. The victor will fufill the last two years of the term of Sen. Quentin N. Burdick, who died Sept. 8. That means the 57-43 majority the Democrats had going into the election, a poor showing considering they won the White House, will leave them with slightly less power now to fend off Republican attempts to stall or derail Mr. Clinton's initiatives with a filibuster. Senate rules require 60 votes to end a filibuster. Republicans would have had a slightly more difficult time defending a filibuster with only 42 senators than if they had 43. Reports from precincts across Georgia showed a very low turnout, a potentially dangerous sign for Mr. Fowler, a liberal who relies heavily on black turnout to offset opposition from the whites in Atlanta suburbs and north Georgia hills. Republicans have rushed to aid Mr. Coverdell, whose campaign came to life in the final weeks of the general campaign to deny Mr. Fowler victory. Less than a month before the general election, Mr. Fowler held a lead of 56 percent to 32 percent in the polls. But Mr. Coverdell closed quickly by charging that the senator bounced checks at the House bank while a member of the House. Mr. Fowler, who served in the House from 1976 to 1986, denied the allegations. +++ 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