Texas

SEPT. 16, 2002 -- Despite facing historical and monetary challenges, the campaign of former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk continues to draw national media and fundraising attention.

Kirk, an African-American who built his name as a moderate, pro-business Democrat, is running against Republican Attorney General John Cornyn.

Despite his popularity, Kirk faces several hurdles to garnering the seat for the Democrats. First, there is history. No Democrat has held the seat since Lyndon B. Johnson. Then, according to a profile in Sept. 16's Washington Post, there is the White House factor.

"He also faces the full force of the White House, which is determined to avoid an embarrassing Democratic victory in President Bush's home state," Lee Hockstader wrote. "Losing the seat in Texas, vacated with the retirement of conservative Republican Phil Gramm, would deal a harsh blow to the administration's hopes of retaking control of the Senate and to Bush's prestige."

Despite the national coverage, issues like a potential war in Iraq and the economy have dominated the campaign in the Lone Star State.

The potential military action in Iraq took center stage Sept. 13 after Kirk questioned whether the U.S. was too easily dismissing potential casualties.

"Look who would be doing the fighting? They're disproportionately ethnic; they're disproportionately minority," the Dallas Morning News quoted Kirk as saying. "The point is, I would be curious to see if we would go to war without any thought of loss if the first half-million kids to go came from families who made $1 million."

Cornyn, interviewed in the same article, said he would support the president in any war.

"I would give the president the benefit of the doubt. If he believes Saddam Hussein is an immediate threat to the United States, then we ought to be prepared to go to war," Cornyn said. "We have a difference of opinion, but I'm not questioning his patriotism."

Arizona

Republican and Democratic statewide office candidates crisscrossed the state the weekend of Sept. 14, exchanging charges and accusing one another of being too extreme for Arizona.

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon accused the Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Janet Napolitano, of being too liberal and of ducking public debates of the issues.

"Bill Clinton always had both feet planted on opposite sides of the fence," Salmon told supporters. "Janet has dodged debates. Where does she stand on the issues? Most of the time she's on the fence."

Salmon's comments came as he toured the state with Sen. John McCain (R), who has endorsed Salmon. McCain, who had had a public rift with outgoing Republican Gov. Jane Hull, said Salmon was the leader Arizona needs during its current billion-dollar budget shortfalls.

"The financial situation in Arizona requires independence, guts and courage," McCain said. "And Matt Salmon has all those qualities. He had the guts to take on the leadership of his own party, but he was always loyal to the people of Arizona. We need that kind of leadership."

In their own tour of the state, Democrats charged the GOP nominees with being out of touch with ordinary Arizonans. Napolitano accused the GOP officials who have run the state for the last 12 years.

"We're Number 1 in stolen cars and teenage pregnancy, thank you very much," Napolitano said. "They do not deserve to keep this state. It's our turn."

Others took their criticism of the Republican slate of candidates to a greater extreme.

"[Republican nominees are] a gaggling cabal of ideologically impaired fanatics," the Arizona Republic quoted Corporation Commission candidate George Cunningham as telling a rally in Tucson.

New Mexico

The Sept. 11 terror attacks have cropped up as an issue in the New Mexico governor's race. Not because of the actual attacks or the war on terrorism, but because of a ceremony that marked the attacks' anniversary.

The Republican and Green party candidates for governor were reportedly irked that former UN Ambassador and U.S. Rep. Bill Richardson, the Democratic nominee, delivered a speech at an Albuquerque memorial service and they weren't given a similar invitation.

"It's unfortunate Bill Richardson is politicizing Sept. 11 for his own gain," Whitney Cheshire, spokeswoman for state Rep. John Sanchez, the GOP nominee, said of Richardson's decision to speak at the event.

The Green Party's candidate, David Bacon, told the Associated Press that all candidates should have been invited to speak.

"I don't want to make a big deal of it. But you're not supposed to do that. If there's a public event and you're inviting one candidate and not inviting the others, that's not right," Bacon said.

Organizers said that they had invited Richardson to speak because of his past work as UN ambassador.